“Computer Graphics”

CS-443

“Traditional Graphics Pipeline”

By: Shazia Rehman

Visiting Lecturer in Computer Science
Govt Postgraduate college pindi road Kohat
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Recommended and Reference Books

Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Outline
• Introduction
• The Graphics Pipeline
• Summary
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Introduction
• A computer graphics pipeline, rendering pipeline or simply graphics
pipeline, is a conceptual model that describes what steps a graphics
system needs to perform to render a 3D scene to a 2D screen.
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

The Graphics Pipeline

Modeling
Transformations
Illumination
(Shading)
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
Transformation

Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)
Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)

Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

The Graphics Pipeline…

Modeling
Transformations • Primitives are processed in a series of stages
Illumination
(Shading)
• Each stage forwards its result on to the next
stage
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
Transformation • The pipeline can be drawn and implemented in
different ways
Clipping
• Some stages may be in hardware, others in
Projection software
(to Screen Space)
• Optimizations & additional programmability are
Scan Conversion
(Rasterization) available at some stages

Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Modeling Transformations
Modeling
Transformations • Model transformations refer to the mapping from object to
Illumination world coordinates.
(Shading) • 3D models defined in their own coordinate system (object
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
space)
Transformation
• Modeling transforms orient the models within a common
coordinate frame (world space)
Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)

Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)
Object space World space
Visibility / Display (local to each object) (common to all objects)
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Illumination (Shading) (Lighting)

Modeling
Transformations • Vertices lit (shaded) according to material
Illumination properties, surface properties (normal) and light
(Shading) sources
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic) • Local lighting model
Transformation
(Diffuse, Ambient, Phong, etc.)
Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)

Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)

Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Viewing Transformation
Modeling
Transformations •Maps world space to eye space (derived from view frustum)
Illumination • Viewing position is transformed to origin & direction is
(Shading) oriented along some axis (usually z)
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
Transformation

Eye space
Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)

Scan Conversion
(Rasterization) World space

Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline
Clipping
Modeling
Transformations • Transform to Normalized Device
Coordinates (NDC)
Illumination
(Shading)

Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)

Transformation

Eye space NDC

Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)
• Portions of the object
Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)
outside the view
volume
(view frustum)
Visibility / Display are removed
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline
Projection
Modeling  The objects are projected to the 2D image place i.e. screen space
Transformations (indexed according to hardware attributes)
Illumination
(Shading)

Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)

Transformation

NDC Screen Space

Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)

Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)

Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Scan Conversion (Rasterization)

Modeling • When we represent regular objects in the form of discrete pixels.” Every
Transformations graphics system must transform the primitives into a collection of pixels.
• The scan conversion is also called “Rasterization.” Each pixel in the
Illumination
(Shading)
graphical system has two states either on or off.
• Interpolate values as we go (color, depth, etc.)
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
Transformation

Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space)

Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)

Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Visibility / Display
Modeling
Transformations • How do we know which parts are visible/in front?
Illumination • Each pixel remembers the closest object (depth
(Shading) buffer),
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
Transformation
• aims to provide output sensitivity by sending only
visible primitives to the hardware.
Clipping • Aimed to determine which lines or surfaces are
Projection
visible in a synthesized image of a 3D scene.
(to Screen Space) • These problems are known as visible line and
Scan Conversion visible surface determination or as hidden line and
(Rasterization) hidden surface removal.
Visibility / Display
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Common Coordinate Systems

• Object space
• local to each object
• World space
• common to all objects
• Eye space / Camera space
• derived from view frustum
• Clip space / Normalized
Device Coordinates (NDC)
• [-1,-1,-1] → [1,1,1]
• Screen space
• indexed according
to hardware attributes
Topic: Traditional Graphics Pipeline

Coordinate Systems in the Pipeline

Modeling Object space
Transformations
Illumination
(Shading) World space
Viewing (Perspective / Orthographic)
Transformation
Eye Space / Camera Space
Clipping

Projection
(to Screen Space) Clip Space (NDC)

Scan Conversion
(Rasterization)
Screen Space
Visibility / Display
 Summary
• Almost every step in the graphics pipeline involves a change of
coordinate system.
• Transformations are central to understanding 3D computer graphics.
THANKS