What is computer graphics?
computer graphics refers to a technology that generates images on a computer
screen. It’s used in digital photography, film and television, video games, and on
electronic devices and is responsible for displaying images effectively to users.
Think of computer graphics as the intersection of design and computer science,
with the purpose of delighting and engaging audiences.
You can find examples of computer graphics in action all around you. Some
examples include blockbuster films, such as the 2009 film Avatar, which depicts
the Na’vi species using facial motion capture technologies, images and icons you
see on your smartphone when you open mobile applications, and data presentations
like charts and graphs you might come across in your line of work.
.
Types of computer graphics
Raster graphics
A raster graphic is essentially a 2D image composed of rows and columns of square
pixels. Each pixel contains information about color and hue. When combined,
pixels form a coherent image. The more pixels per inch the more high-resolution an
image. A high-resolution raster graphic will appear sharper and more true-to-life
than one with low resolution.
Vector graphics
A vector graphic is made up of shapes and lines. Mathematical formulas determine
how the shapes and lines relate to each other, so that you can scale vector graphics
larger or smaller in size without distorting the shape or resolution.
CGI, or computer-generated imagery, turns 2D vector graphics into 3D
representations and converts them into raster images. CGI is used in TV, film, or
video games to depict characters, scenes, and special effects.
History of computer graphics
The precursor sciences to the development of modern computer graphics
were the advances in electrical engineering, electronics and television that
took place during the first half of the twentieth century. Screens could
display art since the Lumiere brothers use of mattes to create special
effects for the earliest films dating from 1895, but such displays were
limited and not interactive. The first cathode ray tube, the Braun tube, was
invented in 1897 – it in turn would permit the oscilloscope and the
military control panel – the more direct precursors of the field, as they
provided the first two-dimensional electronic displays that responded to
programmatic or user input. Nevertheless, computer graphics remained
relatively unknown as a discipline until the 1950s and the post-World War
II period – during which time the discipline emerged from a combination of
both pure university and laboratoy academic research into more advanced
computers and the United States military's further development of
technologies like rader, advanced aviation, and rocketry developed during
the war. New kinds of displays were needed to process the wealth of
information resulting from such projects, leading to the development of
computer graphics as a discipline.
Application of computer graphics
Augmented reality
Computational biology
Computational photography
Computational physics
Computer-aided design
Computing
Design
Digital art
Education
Extended reality
Graphic design
Infographics
Information visualization
Mixed reality
Rational drug design
Simulation
Scientific visualization
Special effects for cinema
Video games
Virtual reality
Web3D
