3-D Computer Animation

Publisher Summary This chapter emphasizes the ideas and concepts that give 3-D computer animation its special character and quality. 3-D computer animation system is a complex subject that not only includes computer graphics but other branches of computer technology, such as operating systems, programming languages, information structures, and hardware design. The chapter discusses the importance of visual perception phenomena to using CRT graphic displays. The perception of moving images on a CRT display is possible because of a phenomenon known as the persistence of vision. A well-known example of 3-D picture generation is the Evans and Sutherland Picture System, which does the transformations, clipping, and perspective in hardware. This approach represents an extremely powerful and useful technique for many applications, such as real-time simulations of an aircraft landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier or airstrip at night. The chapter describes the technique of using a refresh buffer to display pictures in computer graphics. The chapter also discusses the application of three animation systems: the case western reserve system, the graphics symbiosis system, and anima II.