ELSA Erazor II All about graphics, 3D Graphics Representation, 3D Pipeline, Start The object data

Page 19

All about graphics 13

All about graphics

This is the chapter where we really get stuck in. Anyone who wants to know more about graphics–especially in connection with the ELSA ERAZOR II and ELSA VICTORY Erazor LT–will find a whole load of technical stuff right here.

3D Graphics Representation

Today it is considered de rigeur to know all about 3D. Your curiosity will be aroused as soon as you experience the first visual wizardry generated by your new graphics board. Two features of the 3D display will leap out at you: it's both realistic and fast. The amount of work required here is known only to the processor, but we will describe it in detail to you below.

The 3D Pipeline

What actually happens when a monitor displays a 3D object? The data describing the 3D object are passed through what is known as the 3D pipeline, in which the mathematical calculations for its representation in space and perspective on the monitor are carried out. What happens in detail?

3D Pipeline

	Object data	Tesselation	Geometrical	Rendering	Display
			transformation		on the monitor

Start: The object data

The pipeline starts at the object. The object description is made up of the data (points).

Tesselation

In the first step, the object is broken down into a number of polygons or triangles. The vertices of the triangles are described by coordinate points (x, y and z) with the 'z' value containing the depth information. Depending on the representation, these vertices also contain information concerning the material and texture. The volume of data to be pro- cessed increases enormously because of this conversion of the image information.

ELSA ERAZOR II and ELSA VICTORY Erazor LT

Image 19

Contents Elsa Erazortm Germany Elsa IncSonnenweg AachenThank you for placing your trust in this Elsa product PrefaceAbout this Manual Changes to this ManualBefore you continue Contents Glossary Index Look at the Erazor II and Victory Erazor LT IntroductionWhat Hardware Do I Need? Highlights of the Erazor Graphics BoardsWhats In the Box? Declaration of Conformity CE Conformity and FCC Radiation StandardCE and FCC Introduction Elsa Erazor II and Elsa Victory Erazor LT Colors HighColor TrueColor After Installing the DriversWhat is Possible? Its Time to Get MovingMonitor Typical Minimum Maximum Ergonomic ResolutionWhat Makes Sense? More pixels means more funClick on Start, then select Settings E Control Panel Changing the resolutionWindows 95 and Windows Choosing the monitor Here you should click on the Settings tabElsa Erazor II and Elsa Victory Erazor LT Start E Settings E Control Panel Use the command sequenceWindows NT Multimedia Player Useful Stuff and MoreTurn Settings E Advanced... E 3D Settings Fine-Tuning for Performance FreaksStart The object data All about graphics3D Graphics Representation 3D PipelineRendering Geometrical transformationFlipping Display on the monitor Frame bufferWhat APIs Are Available? 3D InterfacesDirect 3D OpenGL Immediate Mode and Retained ModeBpp Color Palettes, TrueColor and Gray ScalesDirectColor HighColor and RealColorTrueColor Vesa DDC Display Data ChannelThere are various standards DDC1, DDC2B, and DDC2AB DDC2AB O addresses Technical DataCharacteristics of the Graphics Boards Address Assignment of the Erazor IIPin Assignment Connection SignalPorts on the Graphics Board VGA D-Shell SocketName and version of the application program with the error Advice and HelpAppendix Who to Contact? Elsa LocalWeb Driver Updates Repair?Elsa Japan Inc DoC-Declaration of Conformity Appendix Elsa Erazor II and Elsa Victory Erazor LT Warranty Procedure Warranty ConditionsWarranty Coverage Warranty PeriodAdditional Regulations Operating MistakesAppendix Elsa Erazor II and Elsa Victory Erazor LT Glossary 3D Three-dimensionalFlipping The image generated in the back buffer is displayed Pixel Picture element. Dot in the image Phong shading ShadingAre calculated by interpolating the normal vec- tor 15, 32 Index18, 19