Computer Graphics In Sports

BY: Yawar Hussain

R/O: Reshipora, Budgam

Introduction:

The old Chinese saying, “One picture is a worth of hundred words” is the proof of the fact
that what a person can convey with a picture or any graphical representation, can’t convey
with thousands of words. Computer Graphics has become a powerful tool for the rapid and
economical production of pictures. It is natural to expect that graphical communication will
often be more convenient when computers are used for the purpose. This is true because
one must represent objects in 2D and 3D spaces. Computer graphics has revolutionised
almost every computer based application in science and technology, be it sports, movies,
business, art, education or any other aspect.

The basic purpose of sports is to entertain the people and to

earn money for the same .With the implementation of computers both these purposes have
become inter-dependent. Computer influences sports in the compilation of statistics, in
scouting and coaching, and with sports training besides providing the sophisticated visual
environment. Such statistics help managers and coaches to take smarter decisions.
Particularly, we use computer graphics to portray our ideas to our audience, and the better
we can communicate the more information that they can retain. The easier we can make
our information the larger audience we can ultimately attract, which obviously will earn us
more money.

Applications of computers in sport (to be understood in its broadest sense) have

been reported since the mid 1960s. Statistical computations, numerical calculations in
biomechanical investigations and sport documentation tasks were carried out. Computer
Science in Sports comprises the following main areas of research:

 Multimedia and presentation

 Modelling and simulation
 Biomechanics and sports technology
 Data bases and expert systems
 Information and communication technologies

These areas of research are supposed to have potential to change the way coaches and
athletes approach training and performance.
 Computer Graphics, besides, providing much benefits in the practical sports games
has countless benefits in the reel world sports too. We can use computer graphics for
designing or developing interesting games which can serve as the source of recreation. A
sports game is a video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports
have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports.
Some games emphasize actually playing the sport (such as the Madden NFL series), while
others emphasize strategy and organization (such as Championship Manager and Out of the
Park Baseball). Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out! , satirize the sport
for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is
competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and
characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world
changes. A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game
content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques
have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions such as the
processing power of central or graphics processing units. Some of these techniques include:

 Vector graphics

Vector graphics refers to the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, and curves
(i.e. shapes based on mathematical equations) instead of resolution-dependent bitmap
graphics to represent images in computer graphics. In video games this type of projection is
somewhat rare, but has become more common in recent years in browser-based gaming
with the advent of flash, since Flash supports vector graphics natively. An earlier example
for the personal computer is Starglider (1986)

Vector game can also refer to a video game that uses a vector graphics display capable of
projecting images using an electron beam to draw images instead of with pixels, much like a
laser show. Many early arcade games used such displays, as they were capable of displaying
more detailed images than raster displays on the hardware available at that time. Many
vector-based arcade games used full-colour overlays to complement the otherwise
monochrome vector images. Other uses of these overlays were very detailed drawings of
the static gaming environment, while the moving objects were drawn by the vector beam.
The vectrex home console also used a vector display. After 1985, vector graphics were
substantially declining due to improvements to sprite technology, rasterized 3D Filled
Polygon Graphics were returning to the arcades and were so popular in the late 80s that
vector graphics can no longer compete.

2D
Games utilizing parallel projection typically make use of two-dimensional bitmap graphics
as opposed to 3D-rendered triangle-based geometry, allowing developers to create large,
complex game worlds efficiently and with relatively few art assets by dividing the art into
sprites and reusing them repeatedly (though some games use a mix of different techniques).
Top-down perspective

An example of a typical top-down, third-person view game

Top-down perspective, also sometimes referred to as bird's-eye view, Over
world, overhead view or helicopter view, when used in video games refers to a camera
angle that shows the player and the area around them from above. While not exclusive to
video games that utilise parallel projection, it was at one time common in 2D role playing
video games, war games and construction and management simulation games. This all was
possible with the invention of advanced technology of computer graphics.

Side-scrolling game

Awesomenauts is a side scrolling MOBA game.

A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the viewpoint is taken from
the side, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the
right. Games of this type make use of scrolling computer display technology, and sometimes
parallax scrolling to suggest added depth.

In many games the screen follows the player character such that the player character is
always positioned near the centre of the screen. In other games the position of the screen
will change according to the player character's movement, such that the player character is
off-centre and more space is shown in front of the character than behind. Sometimes, the
screen will scroll not only forward in the speed and direction of the player character's
movement, but also backwards to previously visited parts of a stage. In other games or
stages, the screen will only scroll forwards, not backwards, so that once a stage has been
passed it can no longer be visited.

2.5D, 3/4 perspective, and pseudo-3D

2.5D ("two-and-a-half-dimensional"), 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are informal terms

used to describe graphical projections and techniques that try to "fake" three-
dimensionality, typically by using some form of parallel projection, wherein the point of
view is from a fixed perspective, but also reveals multiple facets of an object. Examples of
pseudo-3D techniques include isometric/axonometric projection and sky domes. In addition,
3D graphical techniques such as bump mapping and parallax mapping are often used to
extend the illusion of three-dimensionality without substantially increasing the resulting
computational overhead introduced by increasing the polygon count.

The terms sometimes possess a second meaning, wherein the game play in an otherwise 3D
game is forcibly restricted to a two-dimensional plane. In addition to axonometric
projection, games such as The Sims and Final Fantasy Tactics also make use of a
combination of pre-drawn 2D sprites and real-time polygonal graphics instead of relying
entirely on 2D sprites as is the norm.

 3D

With the advent of 3D accelerated graphics, video games could expand beyond the typically
sprite-based 2D graphics of older graphics technologies to describe a view frequently more
true to reality and lifelike than their predecessors. Perspective projection has also been used
in some earlier titles to present a 3D view from a fixed (and thus somewhat less hardware-
intensive) perspective with a limited ability to move.

 Fixed 3D

Fixed 3D refers to a three-dimensional representation of the game world where foreground

objects (i.e. game characters) are typically rendered in real time against a static background.
The principal advantage of this technique is its ability to display a high level of detail on
minimal hardware. The main disadvantage is that the player's frame of reference remains
fixed at all times, preventing players from examining or moving about the environment from
multiple viewpoints.

Backgrounds in fixed 3D games tend to bepre-rendered two-dimensional images, but are

sometimes rendered in real time (e.g. Blade runner). The developers of SimCity4 took
advantage of fixed perspective by not texturing the reverse sides of objects (and thereby
speeding up rendering) which players could not see anyway. Fixed 3D is also sometimes
used to "fake" areas which are inaccessible to players.
First-person perspective

First-person perspective

First person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player
character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many
different genres have made use of first-person perspectives.

Games with a first-person perspective are usually avatar-based, wherein the game displays
what the player's avatar would see with the avatar's own eyes. Thus, players typically
cannot see the avatar's body, though they may be able to see the avatar's weapons or
hands. This viewpoint is also frequently used to represent the perspective of a driver within
a vehicle, as in flight and racing simulators; and it is common to make use of positional
audio, where the volume of ambient sounds varies depending on their position with respect
to the player's avatar.

Games with a first-person perspective do not require sophisticated animations for the
player's avatar, and do not need to implement a manual or automated camera-control
scheme as in third-person perspective. A first person perspective allows for easier aiming,
since there is no representation of the avatar to block the player's view. However, the
absence of an avatar can make it difficult to master the timing and distances required to
jump between platforms, and may cause motion sickness in some players.

Players have come to expect first-person games to accurately scale objects to appropriate
sizes. However, key objects such as dropped items or levers may be exaggerated in order to
improve their visibility.

Third-person perspective

Third person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from a view that is some distance
away (usually behind and slightly above) from the player's character. This viewpoint allows
players to see a more strongly characterized avatar, and is most common in action and
action-adventure games. This viewpoint poses some difficulties; however, in that when the
player turns or stands with his back to a wall, the camera may jerk or end up in awkward
positions. Developers have tried to alleviate this issue by implementing intelligent camera
systems, or by giving the player control over the camera. There are three primary types of
third-person camera systems: "fixed camera systems" in which the camera positions are set
during the game creation; "tracking camera systems" in which the camera simply follows
the player's character; and "interactive camera systems" that are under the player's control.

Conclusion
We can create our own creation by using CG (computer graphics).With computer graphics it
is easy to understand what the creator wants to say?” As for as computer graphics in sports
is concerned I have learnt a lot of things. For example IST & Ten is the name for a computer
system that generates and displays one version of the yellow first down line that a TV
viewer sees during a live broadcast (Live Video Insertion System). The purpose of the line is
mainly to make it easier for television viewers to follow play on the field thereby making it
virtually possible for viewer to be in a game. The system makes use of a combination of
motion sensors mounted on the broadcast cameras to record what they are viewing, and/or
the use of match moving computer graphics technology.

But the main disadvantage in computer graphics is that it is not easy to create
effective CG (computer graphics) as it requires a lot of resources, time and hard work
thereby making it very costly.

References
[1] “Computers In Sports” by P Dabnichki University of London, and Arnold Baca
University of Vienna, Austria,
[2]Computer Graphics and Animations available at;
http://www.bergen.org/AAST/ComputerAnimation
[3]Wikipedia, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/video_game_graphics