Graphics Exam

[NotAGolf]

I've got an exam for my computer graphics module in just over a week. I've had a look throught the lecturer's notes and at the past papers. Problem is that they don't really match up, the areas he has tended to ask questions on is not covered in the lecture notes.

Does anyone know of a good website that covers the general basics of computer graphics? For example, things like the different types of coordinate frames (world, intrinsic etc) and how and when ray-casting is used and when depth buffering is used?

I'm not looking for low-level detail, I think most of the low-level stuff should be in his notes. It's more the high-level application that I'm woried about.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[BlackDragon]

I have a computer graphics module exam in just over a week as well! Sure we aren't in the same uni?

Have you checked to see whether the lecturer has written them notes, and if he also wrote the past papers? For some of our modules, looking at past papers will confuse you because the content being taught is different.

All I can suggest is read the relevant chapters from a textbook that will give you a better understanding of the course content. The one we are using is Computer Graphics With OpenGL. by Hearne and Baker.

Hope that helps!

 

[NotAGolf]

Thanks for your reply BlackDragon.

The exam papers and the notes were written by the same person, and he said the course has changed in the last 2 years (we've only got 2 years of past exam papers).

He didn't give a reading list, he just said any graphics book would be useful .

The only textbook I have is the OpenGL redbook but I dont want to limit myself to just OpenGL.

He said in the revision lecture that he will give marks for anything he finds interesting. I think that's why he gives such vague exam questions. That's why I want to know the basics of most of the fields - so i dont tie myself down to a particular area.

As you can probably tell he's not the most useful lecturer...

 

[Shoseki]

I've not heard of intrinsic co-ordinates, but world co-ordinate and localised co-ordinates are simply ways of communicating different co-ordinate spaces in which your 3d is organised. Depth buffers are used whenever a rendering algorithm needs to take per-pixel depth information to calculate z-ordering, such as in rasterisation or ray casting. Ray casting can be used to produce graphics but can also be used for simple collision detection.

Gah I need to get another job in 3d development, web stuff is boring :S