COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Section – I
INTRODUCTION
 COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Computer Graphics is subfield of computer science which involves display,
manipulation and storage of pictures, experimental data and geometric
information for proper visualization using computational techniques.

Typical graphics system comprises of a host computer with support of

fast processor, large memory, frame buffer and
• Display devices (color monitors),
• Input devices (mouse, keyboard, joystick, touch screen, trackball)
• Output devices (LCD panels, laser printers, color printers. Plotters etc.)
• Interfacing devices such as, video I/O,TV interface etc.

Computer graphics used in diverse areas such as science, engineering,

medicine ,business, industry, government, art, entertainment , advertising
education and training.
Conceptual framework for
interactive graphics
 Graphics Applications

Typical applications areas are
 Entertainment
 Computer-aided design
 Scientific visualization
 Training & Education
 Computer art
 Image Processing
 GUI
 Entertainment

•Animations are frequently used in advertising and

television commercials.
•Frame by frame motion is used.
• Commonly used computer graphics method is Morphing
•Object is transferred into another object
•Eg: An automobile into a tiger.
•Computer Graphics methods are commonly used in making
motion pictures, music videos and television shows
• Graphics objects can combined with live action, actors and
live scenes.
 Computer-aided design

•Computer Aided Design (CAD) used in design of buildings ,

automobiles, aircraft, watercraft textiles etc.
•Wireframe models are used.(outline forms)
•Show overall shape and internal features of objects.
•Helps to watch the behavior of inner components during motion.
• Useful for testing the performance of the system or vehicles.
•Animations in Virtual Reality Environment (VR).
•Determines how vehicle operators affected by certain motions.
•Helps designer to explore various positions that obstruct
operators view.
 Computer-aided design

Network Communications:
•Designed by placing components into the layout
using graphics packages by providing connections.
Architectural Designs
•Architects use interactive graphics to lay floor
plans,Positioning of rooms, doors, windows, stairs and
other buliding features.
•Electrical Enginer can try out arrangements for wiring ,
electrical layouts and fire warning systems
•Realistic displays of architectural designs done.

Wireframe models
 Scientific visualization

•Scientists,engineers,medical personnel analysts

• analyze large of information to study the behavior of
processes.
•Satellite cameras producing large data files can be
interpreted and converted in the visual form
•Producing graphical representation for scientific engineering
and medical datasets and processes is generally referred as
scientific visualization.
Display of complex structures, simulation of
complex process, complex molecular structures such as
proteins and DNA, weather forecasting, complex
mathematical objects
•Data contain scalar values, vectors , high –order tensors or
any combination of these data type. Data set can be 2D or 3D.
•Techniques such as contour plots,graphs and charts,surface
renderings and visualization of volume interiors used.
 Education & Training

Computer generated models are used as educational

aids.

Specialized systems like simulators for training of ship
captains, aircraft pilots, heavy –equipment operators are
used.

Some simulators has no video screens but only control
panels and graphics screens for visual operations.

Output of Automobile simulator is used to investigate
the behavior of drivers in critical situations and
optimizing the vehicle design.
 Computer art

Variety of computer methods including special purpose hardware , specially

developed software like mathematics packages(mathematica),CAD packages ,
desktop publishing packages and animation packages provide facilities for
designing object shapes and motions.

CG methods are also applied in commercial art for logos and other designs.
 Image Processing

Image processing (IP) applies techniques to modify or

interpret existing pictures.
 Improves image quality
 machine perception of visual information.

Methods like retouching and rearranging of sections of
photographs used to analyze satellite photos of earth and
galaxies.

Medical applications uses extensive IP techniques
 for picture enhancements in tomography and in
simulations of operations.

IP and CG are combined in many applications ,
medicine uses these techniques
 to design artifical limbs
 to model and study phyiscal functions,
 Computer aided surgery.
 Graphical User Interface(GUI)

Software packages provide graphics interface.

Window manger allows a user to display multiple-window areas.

Each window contain different graphical or nongraphical displays.

Typical Components Used:
 Menus ,Icons , Cursors , Dialog Boxes, Scroll Bars ,Buttons
 Valuators ,Grids, Sketching , 3-D Interface
 Graphics packages and Platforms

Various application packages and standards are available:
 Core graphics
 GKS Graphics Kernel System by ISO (International Standards
Organization) & ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
 SRGP Simple Raster Graphics Package
 PHIGS Programmers Hierarchical Interactive Graphics System
 OpenGL (with ActiveX and Direct3D)

On various platforms, such as
 DOS, Windows,
 Linux, OS/2,
 SGI, SunOS,
 Solaris, HP-UX,
 Mac, DEC-OSF.
 Graphics packages and Platforms

Certain compilers
 Visual C/C++, Visual Basic, Borland C/C++, Borland Pascal, Turbo C,
 Turbo Pascal, Java provide their own graphical libraries, API, support and
help for programming 2-D/3-D graphics.

Some these systems are
 Device-independent (X11, OpenGL )
 Device-dependent (Solaris, HP-AGP ).

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