3-D processing, whether it's implemented in hardware or software, has three stage
s:
The
tessallation
phase creates a description of an object and converts it into a set of polygons.
The
geometry
stage includes transformation, lighting, and setup. Transformation scales the scene and establishes perspective. Lighting determines color and reflections. Setup decides each polygon's shape.
Rendering
manipulates the 2-D coordinates (
x
and
y
) and the
z
coordinate for the depth value (the
z
value determines whether each pixel is visible or obscured by other polygons). Next, a variety of shading and texture-mapping algorithms establish the polygon's color and texture. High-end graphics engines for professional workstations often rely on shading, which is adequate for CAD applications. Low-cost 3-D cards, however, use texture mapping for more realism.
Flexible C++
Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it
is
theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.
BYTE Digest editors every month analyze and evaluate the best articles from Information Week, EE Times, Dr. Dobb's Journal, Network Computing, Sys Admin,
and dozens of other CMP publications—bringing
you critical news and information about wireless communication,
computer security, software development, embedded systems,
and more!
