CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

CS5500 Computer Graphics

February 26, 2007

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Announcement• Reading Assignment:

– Introduction chapter of any reference book listed in the syllabus.

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

3D Graphics Programming• Application Programming Level (Learning to

Drive):1. Describe the objects in 3D coordinates.2. Set up the camera.3. Call OpenGL (or any other 3D API).

• Implementation of a Renderer (Under the Hood):

1. Transform 3D coordinates to 2D.2. Apply lighting.3. Draw the dots (pixels).

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Hands-On Approach

• We will look at both levels in parallel.– In some assignments, you will program in

the application level. In the graphics pipeline assignments, we will create a 3D renderer.

• A lot of coding, but most of the design is already done for you. It should be fun!

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

What is Computer Graphics?

• More specifically, what is 3D graphics?

• We call this 2D graphics:

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

What is 3D?

• Is this 3D graphics?

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Computer Graphics: 1960-1970

• Wireframe graphics

• Project Sketchpad

• Display Processors

• Storage tube

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Raster Graphics

• Allow us to go from lines and wireframes to filled polygons

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Computer Graphics: 1980-1990

Realism comes to computer graphics

smooth shading environmental mapping

bump mapping

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Computer Graphics: 1980-1990

• Special purpose hardware– Silicon Graphics geometry engine

• VLSI implementation of graphics pipeline

• Industry-based standards– PHIGS; GKS…etc. (vs. OpenGL today)– RenderMan

• Networked graphics: X Window System

• Human-Computer Interface (HCI)

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Computer Graphics: 1990-2000

• OpenGL API

• Completely computer-generated feature-length movies (Toy Story) are successful

• New hardware capabilities– Texture mapping– Blending– Accumulation, stencil buffer

CS5500 Computer Graphics© Chun-Fa Chang, Spring 2007

Computer Graphics: 2000-

• Photorealism

• Graphics cards for PCs dominate market– Nvidia, ATI, 3DLabs

• Game boxes and game players determine direction of market

• Computer graphics routine in movie industry: Maya, Lightwave