Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6
Introduction to
Fixed-Function 3D
Modeling
You've been introduced to how a 3D scene is projected to 2D to produce a ren-
dered image, and you know the basic facts (substantially clarified in later chap-
ters) about light, reflectance, sensors, and displays. The other required ingredi-
ent for an understanding of graphics is mathematics. We've found that students
understand mathematics better when they encounter it experimentally (as we saw
with the order-of-transformations issue in Chapter 2). But performing experiments
using 3D graphics requires either that you build your own graphics system, for
which the preliminary mathematics is critical, or that you use something premade.
WPF is a good example of the latter, providing an easy-to-use foundation for 3D
experimentation.
In this chapter, you learn how to use WPF's 3D features (which we'll refer
to as
WPF 3D
) to specify a 3D scene, configure lighting of the scene, and use a
camera to produce a rendered image. WPF's classic fixed-function model of light
and reflectance is not based on physics directly, and does not produce images
of the quality needed for entertainment products like animated films; however,
because of the enormous adaptability of the human visual system, it does make
pictures that our minds perceive as a 3D scene. The fixed-function model also
has the advantage of being widely used in other graphics libraries; it's a model
that researchers in graphics should know due to its extensive use in early graphics
research and commercial practice, even though it's being rapidly superseded. The
desire to produce more realistic pictures motivates the extensive discussions of
light, materials, and reflectance found throughout the remainder of this topic.
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