Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
16
Serious Fun
One of the great things about computer graphics is that it gives you the ability
to create exciting images by simulating a number of special effects. It's a way
to have fun and still convince people that you are doing serious work, which is
why we have entitled this chapter “Serious Fun.” We think you will find these
effects to be both interesting and informative.
This chapter is something of a potpourri—or perhaps a bag of magic
effects. The first area we will explore is light interference, through both a dif-
fraction grating and an oil slick. The interaction of light with different parts of a
surface creates some exciting surface effects that we explore with shaders. The
next area is lenses that bend light as it passes through them, and we explore the
way a lens affects our view of space by looking at lenses within a cube map.
The third area is atmospheric effects and how they capture and distribute light
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