Introduction

Tom Kelliher, CS 320

Jan. 21, 2000

Administrivia

Announcements

Assignment

Read Chs. 1 and 2.

From Last Time

OpenGL programming intro lab.

Outline

1. Introduction: history, application areas, terminology.

2. Graphics system architecture, CRT structure.

Coming Up

OpenGL programming.

Introduction

History

1. Ivan Sutherland's sketchpad.

2. Doug Engelbart's mouse.

3. Xerox PARC's Alto.

4. Inexpensive display technology.

5. VLSI: video co-processors, enough CPU cycles for photorealism, and cheap, large memories.

Application Areas

1. Display of Information: ``A picture is worth a thousand words.'' How best to represent large numeric data sets?

2. Design: CAD, VLSI design. Visualization of design specifications.

3. Simulation: flight simulators; heads-up displays; VR.

4. User interfaces: window systems bring computing to the masses.

Terminology

1. Computer graphics.

2. CRT.

3. Pixel.

4. Raster.

5. Raster graphics, vector graphics.

6. Scan line, scan conversion/rasterization.

7. Primitive.

8. Frame buffer, video controller.

9. Depth.

10. Refresh, refresh rate.

11. Dot-size, addressability, interdot distance, resolution.

12. Interlaced, non-interlaced.

13. Bitmap, pixmap.

14. Transparent, opaque.

15. Aliasing.

16. Persistence.

Graphics System Architecture

Overall architecture:

Hardware components:

1. Processor.

2. Memory.

3. Frame buffer.

4. Input, output devices.

CRTs

Monochrome:

1. Electron Gun.

2. Focus.

3. X-, y-deflection coils.

4. phosphor.

Color:

1. Electron gun s: R, G, B.

2. Shadow mask.

3. Triads on the phosphor.

4. Color mixing: intensity.

5. Additive effects of RGB.

6. Monitors are analog, but frame buffers are digital. ``True color.''