CSc 4820 6820 Computer Graphics Algorithms Lecture 28 Graphics

CSc 4820/6820 Computer Graphics Algorithms Lecture 28 Graphics Systems Careers in Graphics Final Exam Review

What you have learned in this class • • 3 D graphics pipeline Open. GL programming Real-time graphics algorithms Non-realtime rendering: ray tracing & radiosity • An introduction to 3 D modeling & animation

3 D Graphics Pipeline • Graphics pipeline stages – – – Scene database Culling (optional) Transformation and lighting Clipping and viewport mapping Rasterization Video out • Open. GL/Direct 3 D is designed around this model. • Most graphics hardware systems also follow the pipeline model. 3

Pipeline Model • SGI pioneered the pipelined design model – Other hardware vendors (n. Vidia, ATI, Matrox, 3 dfx, etc. ) follow suit – Break down graphics computations into stages CPU Graphics Processor Frame Buffer 4

SGI’s Reality. Engine (1993) 5

Ge. Force 8800 (2006)

What’s next • GPU – Multi-core CPU and GPU (e. g. Intel’s Larabee) – Real-time ray tracing – Real-time physics processing 7

What’s next • New input devices – For example: Nintendo’s Wii remote control

What’s next • Large 3 D displays – For example, Philips 3 D TV – http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=HFPMN 3 a. K 8 g&feature=related

Large 3 D display • Philips 42” 3 D 42 -3 D 6 W 01 WOW display system – http: //www. businesssites. philips. com/3 dsolutions/news/article 15169. html • Allow multiple users to view 3 D content at the same time within a large comfort zone, without the need for special viewing glasses

Virtual Reality • CAVE – http: //cave. ncsa. uiuc. edu/about. html

What is virtual reality? • A hypothetical three-dimensional visual world created by a computer; user wears special goggles and fiber optic gloves etc. , and can enter and move about in this world and interact with objects as if inside it – Source: Word. Net (http: //wordnet. princeton. edu/)

What is virtual reality? • A human-computer interface in which the computer creates a sensory-immersing environment that interactively responds to and is controlled by the behavior of the user. – Source: http: //www. hitl. washington. edu/scivw/EVE/IV. Definitions. html

Examples of VR • Blue-c – http: //blue-c. ethz. ch/ • http: //www. virtuallybetter. com – http: //www. defense-update. com/products/v/VR -PTSD. htm

Augmented reality • The use of transparent HMDs to overlay computer generated images onto the physical environment. Precisely calibrated, rapid head tracking is required to sustain the illusion. – Source: http: //www. hitl. washington. edu/scivw/EVE/IV. Definitions. html • http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Augmented_re ality

Augmented reality • Mix real and virtual objects • Examples – http: //www. hitlabnz. org – http: //video. google. com/videoplay? docid=652 3761027552517909 – http: //video. google. com/videoplay? docid=1922747073003090226

Careers in Computer Graphics • What level of education is needed? What should I concentrate? • What kind of jobs are there? • Should I be a specialist or a generalist? • What level of experience do they look for? • What kind of jobs can a CS major get in this industry? 17

Sources of Information • SIGGRAPH 2006 panel – “Is a career in computer graphics possible? ” – Videos online at http: //portal. acm. org/toc. cfm? id=SERIES 382& type=series&coll=portal&dl=ACM • SIGGRAPH 2004 panel – “Careers in Computer Graphics” – On DVD 18

Education Background • What level of education is needed? What should I concentrate? – A broad education is essential – Should be a good problem solver – Your major is not that important, your passion, your skill, and your demo reel are 19

Education Background • What level of education is needed? What should I concentrate? – The tools that you use are not that important. Tools are constantly changing. Lots of inhouse tools. The company will train you. – Should know how the computer graphics works – theory behind the tools, not just this button does what. 20

The Job • Two types of industries: – Film production, special effects, and TV commercial – Game industry (more programming jobs) • A broad range of jobs – Modeler, 2 D/3 D animator, lighting specialist, rigging specialist, compositor, level designer, R & D developer, shader programmers, etc. • Stay current – Harder to stay current in technical jobs because technologies constantly change 21

Specialist or Generalist • Should I be a specialist or a generalist? – Solid fundamental skills are important – Specialization will get you hired, but general skill will help you keep the job • There is no true generalist – Small companies tend to prefer generalists, while large companies tend to prefer specialists – Specialists come from generalists – Better love what you are doing 22

Experience and Skill • What level of experience do they look for? – For junior level jobs, 3 to 5 years of experience preferred – Get an internship – Important to have an artistic eye – Combination of artistic and technical background is helpful – A lot of mentoring and training in the industry – Right now, animators are in high demand 23

CS Majors • What kind of jobs can a CS major get in this industry? – Game programmers, game AI, physics engine – R & D developers (e. g. tool developers) • Often need advanced degrees – – – IT professionals Data management Character rigging Special effects (e. g. fire, crowd, weather) Lighting tools • Take some artistic classes will help 24

Final Words • Be adaptive, keep current, the industry is constantly changing • Have a passion, have a goal • Get into the industry is hard, prepare to start from the bottom • Be a team player • Make sure you love what you are doing 25

Final Exam Review • • • December 4, 2008 1 pm to 2: 30 pm Open book, open notes No computer No mobile devices

What’s NOT in the exam • No Blender questions • Clipping

Final Exam Review • The 3 D graphics pipeline – What are the major stages? – Why is it efficient? • Transformations – Translation – Scale – Rotate -- important

Final Exam Review • View – Camera setup • Projection – Orthographical projection – Perspective projection

Final Exam Review • Lighting – The lighting equation – Can figure out the lighting equation from Open. GL program • Shading – Smooth shading – Phong shading

Final Exam Review • Texture mapping – The process of texture mapping – Texture filtering – Mip-mapping

Final Exam Review • Per-fragment processing – Fog – Transparency – Z-buffer test – Stencil test – What can accumulation buffer do?

Final Exam Review • GPU – What is GPU? – Why GPU? • Shaders – What is a shader? – High level shading languages

Final Exam Review • Ray tracing – The basic ray tracing algorithm – Benefits and drawbacks • Radiosity – The radiosity algorithm – Comparison with ray tracing

Final Exam Review • 3 D modeling – Polygon mesh models – Surface subdivision • 3 D animation – Key frame based animation

The next step • Read the 3 D pipeline tutorial again: – http: //www. extremetech. com/article 2/0, 1558, 9722, 00. asp • “Real-time Rendering” 2 nd Ed. by T. Akenine. Moller and E. Haines, A K Peters – A very good survey of real-time graphics algorithms • Learn shader programming: Direct. X 10, Open. GL 3. 0 • Graphics tools – Blender, Maya, 3 DS Max, Softimage, Lightwave, etc. 36

Spring 2008 courses • CSC 8820 “Advanced Graphics Algorithms” • CSC 4840 “Computer Graphics Imaging” – 3 D modeling and animation

Thank you!