Computer Graphics... it's ubiquious!

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Computer graphics is the stuff of fantasy...

If you can imagine it, it can be done with computer graphics. Obviously, Hollywood has caught on to this. Each summer, we are amazed by state-of-the-art special effects. More and more of these images exist only within the memory of a computer. There seems to be no end in sight for this trend. But we're not just talking about big budget mega-productions. There are music videos, and spinning logos on the six o'clock news. Computer graphics is now as much a part of the video and movie production industry as stuntmen and makeup.

The entertainment industry plays many other important roles in the field of computer graphics.

1. Leaders in quality and artistry
2. Not slaves to conceptual purity
3. Big budgets and tight schedules
4. Constant reminder that there is more to CG than technology.
5. How did they do that?
6. They define our expectations

Games are an important driving force in computer graphics. In this class we are going to talk about games. We'll speculate on how they work. We'll also question how they can apparently get so much done with so little to work with. If you have time to play computer games between now and the end of the semester ask yourselves, how do they do that? Study the screen. How does the screen look when things are moving? What about when things are still. Why do they always go into those low resoltion display modes that everyone else considers worthless. Let yourself get blown up. If anyone asks, tell them you're doing science.

How the game's industry drives the field computer graphics

1. Focus on interactivity
2. Cost-effective solutions
3. Avoiding computation and other tricks
4. Games drive the baseline

There are few endeavors more noble than the preservation of life. Today, it can honestly be said that computer graphics plays an significant role in saving lives. The range of application spans from tools for teaching and diagnosis, all the way to treatment. Computer graphics is tool in medical applications rather than an a mere artifact. No cheating or tricks allowed.

Medical Applications also drive computer graphics technology

1. New data representations and modalities
2. Drive issues of precision and correctness
3. Focus on presentation and interpretation of data
4. Construction of models from acquired data

Computer graphics has had a dramatic impact on the design process. Today, most mechanical and electronic designs are executed entirely on computer. Increasingly, architectural and product designs are also migrating to the computer. Automated tools are also available that verify tolerances and design constraints directly from CAD designs. CAD designs also play a key role in a wide range of processes from the design of tooling fixures to manufacturing.

CAD has had the follow impact on computer graphics.

1. Drives the high-end of the HW market
2. Integration of computing and display resources
3. Reduced design cycles -> faster systems sooner

Computer graphics makes vast quantities of data accessible. Numerical simulations frequently produce millions of data values. Similarly, satellite-based sensors amass data at rates beyond our abilities to intrepret them by any other means than visually. Mathematicans use computer graphics to explore abstract and high-dimensional functions and spaces. Physicists can use computer graphics to transend the limits of scale. With it they can explore both microscopic and macroscopic worlds.

Computer graphics is an integral part of every day computing. Nowhere is this fact more evident than the modern computer interface design. Graphical elements such as windows, cursors, menus, and icons are so common place it is difficult to imagine computing without them. Once graphics programming was considered a speciality. Today, nearly all professional programmers must have an understanding of graphics in order to accept input and present output to users.

This page was last modified 8/17/96