Developing the 3D Software

Abstract

Relative to the software development of computer graphics, there have been several important introductions, and not in a orderly fashion. Computing power with programmability, storage, and graphics displays were obtainable in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As they became available drawing techniques that had been mechanical through the use of templates became possible in a computer. One such example is the generation of families of 2D curves on a flat surface known as conic sections. The use of curves is found in aircraft, automotive, ship, and appliance designs, plus buildings, bionics, and sports. Computer-aided design was one of, maybe the first application to make use of computer generated curves and surfaces; it was certainly the first commercial application. Next the designs had to be colored and during the 1970s there was an explosion of techniques for surface shading and mapping. After the image is generated, and sometimes while, it is necessary to apply image filters to smooth out lines, and/or reduce blurriness. We are all living in the 3D world, and it is a natural desire to transpose this three-dimensional feature into art as well. In this chapter, I have introduced the algorithmic aspects of computer graphics. CG is a bunch of tricks to make us think we are seeing something that although is not real, looks real. It is suspension of disbelief.