Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.2
A vector image at
its original size (left)
and blown up quite
a bit (right)
Motion in vector programs is stored not by a long sequence of image files, but through
changes in positions of the geometry and in the math that defines the shapes and volumes.
When a Flash cartoon is played on a website, for example, the information downloaded
and fed to your computer is in vector form. Your computer then renders this information
on the fly in real time into a raster display of the content that you can (you hope) enjoy on
your screen.
When you work in Maya, vectors are displayed as wireframes. When you finish your
scene, Maya renders the image, converting the vector information into a sequence of
raster images you can play back.
Image Output
When you're done with your animation, you'll probably want as many people as possible
to see it (and like it!). To make that happen, you have to render it into a file sequence or a
movie file. The file can be saved in any number of ways, depending on how you intend it
to be viewed.
COLOR DEPTH
An image file stores the color of each pixel as three values representing red, green, and
blue. Image type depends on how much storage is allotted to each pixel (the
color
depth
).
These are the color depths common to image files in CG production:
Grayscale
The image is black and white with varying degrees of gray in between, typically
256 shades of gray. Grayscale images are good for rendering out black-and-white subjects
as well as being used for some types of texture maps like displacement maps.
