www. gupshupstudy.com CHAPTER PRINCIPLES OF 3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS The display of the drawing or the geometric model of the component in CAD uses the technology of computer graphics. The techniques of raster technology, scan conversion, clipping, removal of hidden lines and hidden surfaces, color, shading and texture, necessary {0 understand the complex process of computer graphics are briefly dealt in this chapter. 3.1 INTRODUCTION Traditionally drawings are prepared on plane drawing sheets. This has several limitations. ‘The sketches have to be made only in two dimensions. Though the depth can be represented, by pictorial projections like isometric and perspective projections, the projections have to be necessarily reduced to two dimensions. Use of computer graphics has opened up tremendous possibilities for the designer. Some of them are listed below: * The object is represented by its geometric model in three dimensions (X, Y and Z). + The mathematical representation reduces creation of views like orthographic, isometric, axonometric or perspective projections into simple viewing transformations, * Though the size of the screen is limited, there is no need to scale the drawings. + Drawings can be made very accurate. + The geometric models can be represented in color and can be viewed from any angle * Sections can be automatically created * The associativity ensures that any change made in one of the related views will automatically reflect in other views. + Revision and revision control are easy + Drawings (geometric models) can be modified easily. * More important than all, drawings can be reused conveniently. * Storage and retrieval of drawings are easy. GupShupStudy.com 58‘www. gupshupstudy.com 42. CAD/CAM/CIM Modern computer graphics displays are simple in construction. They consist of basically three components. i. Monitor ii, Digital Memory or Frame Buffer iii, Display Controller Most of the computer graphics displays use raster CRT which is a matrix of discrete cells each of which can be made bright. A graphic entity like line or circle is represented as a series of “points or dots” on the screen. Therefore, itis called as a point plotting device. The video display screen is divided into very small rectangular elements called a picture element or pixel. This happens to be the smallest addressable screen element. Graphic images are formed by setting suitable intensity and color to the pixels which compose the image. Depending upon the resolution screens may have varying number of pixels. For ‘example, an SVGA monitor with a resolution of 1024 x 768 will have 1024 pixels in every row (X - direction) and 768 pixels in every column (Y-direction). Monitors of larger size will have resolution of 1024 x 1024 or more. A raster scan system displays the image on a CRT in a certain fixed sequence. The refresh rate is the number of complete images or frames scanned per second. In the case of interlaced refresh cycle odd numbered raster lines are refreshed during 1/60th of a second. Even numbered raster lines are refreshed during the next 1/60th of a second. Innon-interlaced displays, al lines are refreshed in 1/60th of a second. The quality of non- interlaced display is hence, superior. These systems, however, require expensive frame buffer memory and display controller. 3.2 GRAPHIC PRIMITIVES A drawing is created by an assembly of points, lines, arcs, circles. For example, drawing shown in Fig 3. consists of several entities. In computer graphics also drawings are created ina similar manner. Each of these is called an entity. The drawing entities that a user may find in a typical CAD package include point line construction line, multi-line, polyline circle spline ellipse polygon rectangle GupShupStudy.com 59www. gupshupstudy.com Principles of Computer Graphics 43 IRCLE ae a A INE LEN (oly | | —Ne Fig. 3.1 A Simple Drawing ‘The fundamental principles of generation of some of these entities are discussed below : ‘The frame buffer display is an example of a point plotting device. The smallest unit accepted by such displays is a single pixel. To construct a useful picture on a point plotting device, a picture must be built out of several hundreds of pixels. Straight line segments are used a great deal in computer generated pictures. The following ctiteria have been stipulated for line drawing displays i, Lines should appear straight ii, Lines should terminate accurately iii, Lines should have constant density iv. Line density should be independent of length and angle vy. Line should be drawn rapidly ‘The process of turning on the pixels for a line segment is called vector generation. Ifthe end points of the line segment are known, there are several schemes for selecting the pixels between the end pixels. One method of generating a line segment is a symmetrical digital differential analyzer (DA). 3.4.1 DDA ALGORITHM ‘The digital differential analyzer generates lines from their differential equations. The DDA works on the principle that X and Y are simultaneously incremented by small steps proportional to the first derivatives of X and Y. In the case of a straight line the first derivatives are constant and are proportional to DX and DY, where D is a small quantity. GupShupStudy.com 60