Computer graphics (computer science)

Computer graphics is a sub-field of computer science which basically studies methods for digitally synthesizing and changing visual content. Some people think that graphics only studies 3 dimensional visuals, but computer graphics also encompasses 2 dimensional computer graphics and image processing. It also focuses more on the processing part of graphics rather than just the aesthetics aspect of most graphics that we know of. Some connected studies to computer graphics are applied mathematics, computational geometry, computational topology, computer vision, image processing, information visualization, scientific visualization. Some applications of computer graphics include digital art, special effects, video games, visual effects.

There is a subfield/needed understanding of geometry in computer graphics. This is because most figures appear different on the exterior so boundary representations are commonly used like polygonal meshes which are also known as subdivision surfaces. It is important that even fluids and surface texture is taken into consideration when representing objects. The animation part also focuses on how the objects move or deform over time.

Finally, rendering is the most important because that is when simulation takes place. There is light transport or non-photorealistic rendering. Transporting describes how illumination in one scene gets to another. Scattering is how light interacts with the surface at a given point and shading is how material properties vary across each different type of designated surface. Overall computer graphics has been revolutionary in the gaming industry and is worth billions of dollars. It has brought newer processing and advanced graphics that would not have been possible in the past.