Introduction to Computer Graphics

A basic understanding of the key techniques in computer graphics can open the door to this exciting field and its many applications, including for video games and for augmented and virtual reality.

This easy-to-follow textbook and reference introduces the fundamental concepts of computer graphics, integrating both technical background and theory with practical examples and applications throughout. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition continues to present a user-friendly approach to creating images and animations, complementing the expanded coverage of topics with usage of example programs and exercises.

Topics and features:

• Contains pedagogical tools, including easy-to-understand example programs and end-of-chapter exercises
• Presents a practical guide to basic computer graphics programming using the Open Graphics Library (OpenGL) and the widely used Java programming language
• Includes new and expanded content on the OpenGL graphics pipelines, shader programming, drawing basic objects using the OpenGL, three-dimensional modelling, quaternions, rasterisation, antialiasing and more
• Supplies complete Java project examples as supplementary material

This reader-friendly textbook is an essential tool for second-year undergraduate students and above, providing clear and concise explanations of the basic concepts of computer graphics. It will enable readers to immediately implement these concepts using the OpenGL and Java (with only elementary knowledge of the programming language).

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 The Open Graphics Library (OpenGL)

3 Basic Geometric Objects

4 Modelling Three-Dimensional Objects

5 Geometry Processing

6 Greyscale and Colour Representation

7 Rasterisation

8 Visibility Considerations

9 Lighting Models

10 Textures

11 Special Effects and Virtual Reality

Appendix A Web References

Appendix Index

About the Authors

Karsten Lehn is a member of the Faculty of Information Technology at Fachhochschule Dortmund, University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He has over ten years of industry experience and is lecturer since 2011. His teaching experience includes computer graphics, image processing, augmented reality, virtual reality, human-computer interaction, and basics of computer science.

Merijam Gotzes, a mathematics graduate and computer science doctor, has been teaching computational visualistics and computer science at Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences since 2012. Her teaching experience includes computer graphics, image processing and basic computer science and mathematics, as well as graph drawing, information visualisation and visual analytics.

Frank Klawonn is head of the Data Analysis and Pattern Recognition Laboratory at the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and heads the Biostatistics Research Group at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. As part of his teaching and research activities, he is intensively involved with visualisation techniques for data analysis.