2. Examine the technology that allows us to display 3D polygon animations: graphics pipeline, e.g. modelling, lighting, viewing, projection, clipping, scan conversion, texturing and shading. Also research Radiosity & Ray tracing rendering techniques.

APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE

The two most common API's for the display of 3D Models are OpenGL and Direct3D. these are what make the shapes and then shows them on the screen. OpenGL is and old version and standard where as Direct3D is by microsoft and there for can only be used on windows operating system.

THE GRAPHICS PIPELINE
MODELLING
This is where it deals with the manipulation of areas such as vertices, edges and faces which make the shape.
LIGHTING
Geometry in the space are shown through lights using rasterisation. 
VIEWING
The ready made objects are then transformed into coordinates and placed into a virtual camera.
PROJECTION
Perspective is where objects are smaller when further away from the camera where as orthographic projection the object keeps its size.
CLIPPING
Is where items that are not visible on screen are not renders and so saves on the render process.
VIEWPORT TRANSFORMATION
the vertices are then given coordinates which will relate to pixels.
SCAN CONVERSION 
uses rasterisation to determine the resulting pixel values present.
TEXTURING AND SHADING
pixels are then given a value which correspond to a colour of a texture.
DISPLAY
it is then displayed on screen.

RENDERING TECHNIQUES AND ENGINES

RASTERISATION

geometrically projects images onto a scene.

RAY-CASTING

geometrically projects images into a scene in a perspective this is fast rendering.

RAY-TRACING

similar to ray-casting but with much more advance optical effects which has the negatives of slower render times

RADIOSITY

this is used to give a more realistic look as it registers how the light would fall on other objects as well.

RAY-TRACING

DEALING WITH LIGHT

OMNI LIGHT

this light is the most basic and it gives off light in every direction.

SPOTLIGHT

this light is able to focus on an are although the further away the less light is shown as it is lost futher along.

TYPES OF LIGHT

types of light is important as objects are made of different materials and these consist of different ways the reflect light for example metal is shiny.

LIGHT

TEXTURES

Textures are what cover the object they are imported through the software using maps. these will determin many things for reflectance ruffness and smoothness.

DISTANCE FOG

Distance fog came into 3D animation and majority in games after the 1990's. it gave the illusion that items were further away. It also generated an atmosphere. It is caused by light scattering. It can be seen heavily used in the Silent Hill series.

SHADING

FLAT SHADING

This is where one simple colour is assigned to each polygon after a light source has been added.

GOURAUD SHADING

very similar to Flat as it calculates the same along with light intensity.

PHONG SHADING

this is the more realistic and accurate shading as it works out each vector showing an accurat depiction of for example curved surfaces.

LEVEL OF DETAIL

Rendering all polygons even at distance is very time consuming and can not always be needed. so less polygons are needed when the object is far from the camera. many more are added when close. This really does help with render times.

1. Examine the applications of 3D for product design, animations, TV, film, web, games, education, architectural walk-through.

1. Examine the applications of 3D for product design, animations, TV, film, web, games, education, architectural walk-through.

The site: http://www.yankodesign.com/ is a perfect example of how 3D can aid design of products. In order for a product to be manufactured and retailed it must first go through CAD programs to demonstrate the nature of the product. It also is a blueprint of the product. It shows the size dimensions and materials of the product, using 3D only furthers the understanding of the product.

3D is key to animations. The way the characters are portrayed dictates the actual story line. In this current economic climate, money in animation is soulfully found in 3D as it is the most realistic and time consuming of them all. But it is the true portrayal of character and setting which is necessary for a decent animation. In the picture below, the use of animation shows the true emotion of the character.

  

CGI and 3D modelling are key to some dramatic events in some TV shows. A big example in modern day television is the sequence in Coronation Street. As the program is set in Manchester a big part of city life is using the metro link. In a particular episode a met derails and smashes through a bridge. This is a perfect example of use of 3D as the producers wouldn't of had the necessary money in the budget for such a stunt. CGI and 3D modelling are a much cheaper option.

3D is the main focus on most animated films. The way the characters are displayed on screen shows how the story line will progress. With giants such as DreamWorks and Disney leading the pack it's the biggest franchise that uses such 3D techniques. Apart from the previous companies mentioned, one of if not the hugest Company is Pixar. Pixar are based in California and teamed up with Disney to create fun 3D animated films for the whole family. To me, Pixar has always been a big part of my life. I grew up with the likes of Toy Story and Bugs Life and seeing the characters come to life is exciting. This is only made possible by the power of 3D.

There are many sites on the Web that use 3D. Most used are for showing the marketing of a company. Another use of it is to show a campus of a place. Hybrid view on some map applications demonstrate the uses of 3D on the web.

3D modelling is the majority of the gaming worlds platform of choice. Since the end of the 90's 3D modeled games became much more popular as they gave a certain reality to the game and it was the step up that was needed. 3D modelling is now considered basic in the Gaming world. Many games use it to show setting, what is key to a successful game now is if the graphics used are life like. The standard now is so state of the art that successful games are the ones where it is hard to distinguish the difference between the game and reality. 3D gives gaming a sense of realism. 

3D can be used in education to improve learning capabilities. Interactive learning has become a big part of the school curriculum. This is due to an ever changing world in which technology plays a big part. interactive learning helps learning as it is a fresh way of thinking and has been proven to work.

Architectural walk-through's use 3D in order to show the layout of their designs. It demonstrates the aesthetics of their designs and also to show existing locations. Something similar is used in some games such as Team Fortress 2 where a server maker is available. But the biggest use is where architects demonstrate their work.  Programs such as Google sketch up may be used.