Talk:Computer graphics/Archive 1
Things that lack
- an improved defenition
- a good history of CG
- a good and broad discussion on CG-applications and the importance of CG for society in general
- good linking to the abundancy of CG-related topics in this encyclopedia
- actual CG images!!! (Especially classics) from the 60ties 70ties 80ties and early 90ties.
The main text needs to be more insightful.
The definition is ok, maybe a bit on the dry side. Maybe it could be better to put the definition in a more acessible language like:
"Computer Graphics (CG) is the field of visual computing, where one utilizes computers both to generate visual images synthetically and to process visual and spatial information sampled from the real world."
And then when it comes to the main text I start to get real objections.
1) When it should have started with the breaktrhough of computer graphics that came with Sketchpad in 1962 it starts fumbling around with stuff that is just vaguely related to computer graphics; "output of text and numbers on electronic displays". Please! Electronic display of numbers and letters existed before the invention of the the modern computer and has more to do with subjects like display technology.
2) Scetchpad and its inventor Ivan Sutherland isn't even mentioned further down in the text. Not even a link. Here is a sentance that ought to be included early in the text:
The first major advance in computer graphics was the development of the Sketchpad in 1962 by Ivan Sutherland.
One must remember that sketchpad was a breakhrough in a wide variety of ways. Ivan Southerland demonstrated that computer graphics could be used for both engieneering purposes and for art. Sketchpad was also the first GUI (Graphical User Interface). Ivan Sutherland himself was the first to lecture in computer graphics at a university, and thus made computer graphics a field of academic study as well.
3) I strongly disagre with the claim "This field can be divided into two general areas: real-time rendering, and non real-time rendering. " Such a claim assumes that computer graphics is all about rendring, and implies that the field computer graphics is mainly about synthetisizing in either raltime or slowtime mode. Another aspect that is problematic with that claim is that what is non-realtime today is realtime tomorrow because of the rapid evolution of computing power.
If one wants to devide computer graphics into aeras, it would be wizer to use the division from the definition; "synthesising or augmenting". But I would rather prefer to seperate into synthesizing and processing of visual and spatial data. For instance one syntetisizes when one uses a 3d program to model and render out photo-realistic images , and one processes when one alters a scanned raster-image in a program like photoshop.
This seperation is also visible in other fields like medicine where one uses advanced scanning techniques to gather data from inside living tissue and then process this data to represent it visually on a computer screen, while a farmaceut model up a totally new molecule using a taylor made 3d-graphical molecule modelling tool thereby synthetisining new visual images of something that does not yet exist in the real world.
But anyone who is familiar with the art of computer graphics knows that these boundries are much more blurred. Take any special effects loaded movie today and you will have people modelling up graphics that does not exist but that uses visual data from the scene to form ralistic refelction and lighing. And when graphic designers work with a layout they will frequently combine synthetizied graphics with scanned images. They might even make some syntethic graphics print it to the real world where they then curl and rip and mutilate the print before scanning it in again to use in an "improved" layout.
4) I also miss a mention of the prominent place computer graphics has in the dayly life of people in the industrialized world. PC's are common, and they all have GUI's. From an early age most of us become familiar with computer games (wich is one of the main driving forces in computer graphics development, both technologically and artistically). People are familiar with scanned immages, images from digital cameras. And frankly anywhere we look arund we can be pretty sure that the stuff has been designed in programs that uses computer graphics. Your DVD-player, and your washing mashine and the car or bicycle you ride has been moddeled up in 3d before they were sent to production. The newspaper you read while eating breakfast has ben fully designed on a computer using digital layout solutions.
5) I really miss the mention of the prominent place computer graphics has for all science theese days, for purposes of visualization, simulation and understanding of complex phenomenon. Computer graphics is a vital part of the computer enhanced research and development.
Well thats about it... But I hope someone with good writing skills can redo the page on computer graphics.
Might one want to include a list computer graphics programmes (with the caveat that such information may be historical and tend to become outdated)? -- Daniel C. Boyer
Should the article mention that at first research into computer graphics and attempts to develop computer graphics programmes was discouraged by academia and companies as it took up valuable memory that could be better devoted to more "practical" (profit-generating) activities? --Daniel C. Boyer
Mention ASCII art? --Daniel C. Boyer