Creative Computer Graphics presents the dynamic visual power of images created with computer technology. From the pioneering efforts in the 1950s to the current achievements of modern exponents in the US, UK, France and Japan, the book explores computer graphic images through the techniques and technology used to create them. Scientific research laboratories, video games, NASA space simulations, feature films, television advertising and industrial design are some of the areas where computer graphics has made an impact. The book traces the history, assesses the current state of the art and looks ahead to the future where computer graphic images and techniques are to become progressively more important as a means of expression and communication.

Demonstrates scores of innovative ways to use imaging-editing software, along with scanners, digital cameras, and printers, to develop fabulous art, no matter what the medium.

Today one of the hardest parts of computer aided design or analysis is first modeling the design, then recording and verifying it. For example, a typical vehicle such as a tank, automobile, ship or aircraft might be composed of tens of thousands of individual parts. Many of these parts are composed of cylinders, flats, and simple conic curves and surfaces such as are amenable to modeling using a constructive solid geometry (CSG) approach. However, especially with the increasing use of composite materials, many parts are designed using sculp tured surfaces. A marriage of these two techniques in now critical to continued development of computer aided design and analysis. Further, the graphical user interfaces used in most modeling systems are at best barely adequate to the required task. Critical work on these interfaces is required to continue pushing back the frontiers. Similarly, once the design is modeled, how are the varied and diverse pieces stored, retrieved, and modified? How are physical interferences prevented or eliminated? Although considerable progress has been made, there are still more questions and frustrations than answers. One of the fundamental problems of the 1990s is and will continue to be modeling. The second problem is interpretation. With the ever increasing computational power available, our ability to generate data far exceeds our ability to interpret, understand, and utilize that data.

This book introduces the fundamentals of 2-D and 3-D computer graphics. Additionally, a range of emerging, creative 3-D display technologies are described, including stereoscopic systems, immersive virtual reality, volumetric, varifocal, and others. Interaction is a vital aspect of modern computer graphics, and issues concerning interaction (including haptic feedback) are discussed. Included with the book are anaglyph, stereoscopic, and Pulfrich viewing glasses. Topics covered include: - essential mathematics, - vital 2-D and 3-D graphics techniques, - key features of the graphics, - pipeline, - display and interaction techniques, - important historical milestones. Designed to be a core teaching text at the undergraduate level, accessible to students with wide-ranging backgrounds, only an elementary grounding in mathematics is assumed as key maths is provided. Regular ‘Over to You’ activities are included, and each chapter concludes with review and discussion questions.

In the third paper in this chapter, Mike Pratt provides an historical intro duction to solid modeling. He presents the development of the three most freqently used techniques: cellular subdivision, constructive solid modeling and boundary representation. Although each of these techniques devel oped more or less independently, today the designer's needs dictate that a successful system allows access to all of these methods. For example, sculptured surfaces are generally represented using a boundary represen tation. However, the design of a complex vehicle generally dictates that a sculptured surface representation is most efficient for the 'skin' while constructive solid geometry representation is most efficent for the inter nal mechanism. Pratt also discusses the emerging concept of design by 'feature line'. Finally, he addresses the very important problem of data exchange between solid modeling systems and the progress that is being made towards developing an international standard. With the advent of reasonably low cost scientific workstations with rea sonable to outstanding graphics capabilities, scientists and engineers are increasingly turning to computer analysis for answers to fundamental ques tions and to computer graphics for present~tion of those answers. Although the current crop of workstations exhibit quite impressive computational ca pability, they are still not capable of solving many problems in a reasonable time frame, e. g. , executing computational fluid dynamics and finite element codes or generating complex ray traced or radiosity based images. In the sixth chapter Mike Muuss of the U. S.

Approaches to modeling; Geometry; Computer and mathematical concepts. Surfaces in space and lighting; Polygons and surface shading; Mapping; Fractals; Curved surfaces; Model making; Real-world rendering; Raster rendering; Animation; Production techniques; Index.