CS410 Computer Graphics

Midterm Study Guide

1.  a. Describe the basic two-dimensional affine transformations and explain how each may be 
       performed on graphic entities in computer graphics. 
    b. How may these transformations be composed to reduce operation counts for multiple
       transformations on extensive data? 

2. List several graphics input devices. For each one, briefly explain : 
   a. how it works, 
   b. its advantages and limitations, and 
   c. the circumstances when it would be most useful. 

3. List several graphics softcopy output devices. For each one, briefly explain : 
   a. how it works, 
   b. its advantages and limitations, and 
   c. the circumstances when it would be most useful. 

4. List several graphics hardcopy output devices. For each one, briefly explain : 
   a. how it works, 
   b. its advantages and limitations, and 
   c. the circumstances when it would be most useful. 

5. Describe a pinhole camera. Discuss its attributes and disadvantages.

6. Briefly describe pipeline architectures.

7. What is clipping?

8. Describe the differences between a simple and nonsimple polygon.

9. Describe the differences between stroke text and raster text.

10. Compare and contrast addative and subtractive color models.

11. Describe indexed color.

12. Describe an orthographic view.

13. What is aspect ratio? How can it effect viewing?

14. Compare and contrast request-mode, sample-mode, event-mode and callbacks.

15. How is a display list used in computer graphics?

16. What is double buffering?

17. What is a vector space? What is an affine space?

18. Describe the difference between left and right hand coordinate systems.

19. What are homogeneous coordinates?

20. Describe translation, rotation, shear and scaling transformations.

21. Discuss the order of applying transformations in OpenGL. (Multiple transformations are effectively applied in reverse order. 
i.e., the last transformation (the one immediately before the geometry function calls) is the first one applied to the raw vertex data. )

22. Compare and contrast 1, 2 and 3 point perspective.