Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The most prominent domain of this kind is game development. Consider the
list of tasks associated with producing a 3D interactive game:
• Highly optimized AMIP
• Statistics/history recording/“score keeping”
• Audio (background music, synchronized sound effects)
• Physics for realistic dynamics
• Networking (for multiplayer games, LAN-based or Internet-based)
• Artificial Intelligence (for character/object autonomous behavior)
•
Input-device handling
To provide a feature-rich foundation for game development, a number of
game application platforms
(often called
game engines
) have been made
available as commercial products or open source projects. Many have evolved as
a side effect of a team's creation of a specific game product or series. Internal to
the runtime module of a game application platform is a set of databases that can
together be considered a “super scene graph” that stores the scene information
interleaved with the application model. For example, in an auto racing game, a
template representing an instantiable car might contain not only the expected geo-
metric information (e.g., a scene-graph template representing the car's geometry
and appearance), but also its maneuverability characteristics (e.g., acceleration
limitations, handling characteristics in sharp turns, etc.). Moreover, an instance
of that template, representing an actual car involved in an ongoing race, would
carry additional game-related information (e.g., current velocity, current angular
momentum) in addition to the geometric current-location/orientation information
that would be present in a normal scene graph.
Game development involves much more than just implementing the executable
runtime, and thus mature game-development systems also often include utilities/
IDEs that assist in design-time activities. For example, the popular Unreal
game-development environment includes tools for the following:
• Three-dimensional model construction/editing, including facilities for
loading existing models from a variety of file formats
• Character skinning/rigging for designing humanoid/animal figures that
move realistically
• Art direction, including background painting, material design, and lighting
design
Of course, graphics application platforms are available in other disciplines as
well. For example, in the CAD/CAM domain, Autodesk's AutoCAD system has
evolved from an application to a platform with a high amount of configurability, a
“super scene graph” database, and a rich API. Instead of trying a one-size-fits-all
approach, AutoCAD offers distinct environments with targeted AM semantics for
several subdisciplines, such as mechanical, architecture, factory-floor layout, etc.
The computational requirements of 3D applications have in the past kept them as
standalone applications running on desktop/laptop PCs or on specialized gaming
platforms such as Xbox 360, PlayStation, Wii, etc. However, progress in both
