User manual ELSA ERAZOR III LT

[. . . ] ELSA ERAZOR III Pro TM User Manual ELSA ERAZOR III LT TM © 1999 ELSA AG, Aachen (Germany) While the information in this manual has been compiled with great care, it may not be deemed an assurance of product characteristics. ELSA shall be liable only to the degree specified in the terms of sale and delivery. The reproduction and distribution of the documentation and software supplied with this product and the use of its contents is subject to written authorization from ELSA. The accredited TÜV CERT certification authority has confirmed ELSA conformity to the worldwide ISO 9001 standard in certificate number 09 100 5069, issued on June 15, 1998. [. . . ] Shading ­ Shading takes account of the effects created by different light sources on the 3D object and provide for a very realistic overall impression. Here, too, there are different methods which are more or less processor-intensive: ­ Flat shading assigns a color value to each polygon. This results in a mosaic-like, jagged representation, which demands only a short processing time. ­ In Gouraud shading, all the vertices of the polygons are assigned a color value. The remaining pixel information for the polygon is interpolated. This method gives a very gentle color transition, even with fewer polygons than are required for flat shading. ­ The Phong shading method additionally takes a normal vector of reflectivity into consideration when interpolating. An even more realistic impression is generated by the representation of reflections and mirror images. ­ Certain applications use ray tracing methods. This is a very computer-intensive and time-consuming process in which each individual pixel and its reflection in 3D space is calculated. The frame buffer The finished image will not be written to the frame buffer until this complex sequence of steps is completed. The frame buffer is made up of front and back buffer. The back buffer acts as a buffer page, in which the next image to be displayed is built up. This prevents the process of image drawing being visible. The duplicate storage method is also known as double buffering. Flipping: Display on the monitor The content of the front buffer is displayed on the monitor. When the drawing process in the back buffer is completed, this image is then passed to the front buffer in a process known as flipping. The next image will only ever be displayed once the image drawing process in the back buffer is completed. This procedure should be repeated at least 20 times a second to give a smooth representation of 3D scenarios. In this context, we speak of frames per second (fops), a very important value for 3D applications. A cinema film runs at 24 fps. 3D interfaces Software interfaces, including 3D interfaces, are known as APIs (Application Program Interface). The question is what are these interfaces used for, and how do they work. ELSA ERAZOR III Pro and ELSA ERAZOR III LT 32 All about graphics In simple terms: They make developers' work easier. [. . . ] 34, 47 Refresh rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 47 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Retained mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ]