Definition: Computer graphics refers to the creation and manipulation of pictures and drawings using a

digital computer.

It is fact that one picture is worth a thousand words.

1.1 Major Applications:

1. Designing: Engineering and architectural systems. Almost all consumer products are now
computer-designed.
2. Image processing (remote sensing, aerial survey, space research, pattern recognition, CT Scan)
3. Computer Art
4. GUI (graphical user interface)
5. Visualization
6. Education and Training
7. Film industry (Multimedia applications, controlled animation, simulation, morphing )

1.2 Display Devices:

The most important part in a personal computer is the display system. Some of the common
types of display systems available in the markets are,

1. Raster Scan Display

2. Random Scan Display
3. Direct View Storage Tube
4. Flat panel Displays
5. Three Dimensional Viewing
6. Stereoscopic and virtual Reality System

The Display systems are often referred to as Video Monitor or video Display (VDU). Every
monitor has three basic parts –

1. Display adapter : Creates and holds the image information

2. Monitor : Displays the information
3. Cable: Carries the image data between the display adapter and the monitor.

Before we discuss the major display system let us first know some basic terms.

1. Pixel: Smallest sizes object or color spot that can be displayed and addressed on a
monitor. Also known as Picture Elements.
2. Image Resolution: The pixel spacing i. e. the distance from one pixel to the next pixel. A
typical monitor display screen images with a resolution somewhere between 25 ppi
(Pixel per inch) to 80 ppi.
 3. Dot Pitch: The distance between adjacent sets (traids) of red, green and blue dots.
Usually monitors available with a dot pitch specification 0.25mm to .40mm.
4. Screen Resolution: The dot pitch is the measure of screen resolution. The smaller the
dot pitch, the higher the resolution, sharpness and details of the images displayed.
5. Aspect ratio : The aspect ratio of the is the ration of the number of X pixel to the
number of Y pixls. The standard aspect ratio of PCs is 4;3.
320X200# 8:5, 640X480 # 4:3, 1280X1024#5:4, 1600X1200#4:3
6. Frame Buffer or refresh buffer: Memory area holds the set of intensity values for all the
screen points.

1.3 Raster Scan Display: This type of display basically employs a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or LCD
Panel for display. In raster scan systems, the electron beam is swept across the screen, one row
at a time from top to bottom. As the electron beam move across each row, the beam intensity
is turned on and off to create the pattern of illuminated spot. Picture definition is stored in a
frame buffer. Stored intensity is retrieved from the refresh buffer and pained on the screen one
row (scan line) at a time.

Refreshing on raster scan displays carried out at the rate of 60 to 80 frames per seconds.
Refresh rate is described in units of cycles per seconds or Hertz.

Horizontal Retrace: The return of the left of the screen, after refreshing each scan line is called
horizontal retrace.

Vertical Retrace: At the end of each frame, the electron beam returns (vertical retrace) to the
top left corner of the screen to begin the next frame.

Interlaced: On some raster scan system (and in TV sets), each frame is displayed in two pass
using an interlaced refresh procedure. In the first pass, the odd- numbered lines are refreshed
and in the second pass, even-numbered lines are refreshed.

CRT:

Bit depth: The number of memory bits required to store color information (intensity values for
all three primary color components) about pixel is called the color depth or bit depth.

Bitmap or bit plane: The block of memory which store (or is mapped with) bilevel intensity
values for each pixel of a full screen pure black and white image is called a bit plane or bitmap.
Color Bits for RGB Number of Bytes of Common name for color Depth
Depth displayed colors Storage per
Pixel
4-Bit - 16 .5 Standard VGA
8-Bit B-2,G-3,R-3 256 1.0 256-Color Mode
16-Bit B-5,G-6, R-5 65536 2.0 High Color
24-bit B-8,G-8,R-8 16,777,216 3.0 True Color

Frame buffer and output circuitry:

A screen of monochrome text needs only 2KB of memory space. Upper Memory Block (UMA)
was dedicated to hold this video data.

Frame buffer is the video memory (RAM) that is used to hold or map the image displayed on
the screen. The amount of memory required to hold the image depends primarily on the
resolution of the screen image and also the color depth.

Memory in MB =(X-resolution x Y-resolution x Bits-per-pixel)/(8X1024X1024)

Resolution 4-Bits 8-Bits 16-Bits 24-Bits 32-Bits

320X200 0.03(256KB) 0.06(256KB) 0.12(256KB) 0.16(256KB) -
640X480 0.15(256KB) 0.29(512KB) 0.59(1 MB) 0.88 (1 MB) 1.17 (2 MB)
800X600 - 0.46(512KB)
1024X768 - 0.75(1 MB)
1280X1024 - 1.25 (2 MB)
1600X1200 - 1.83 (2MB)
Radio Memory Configurations

Some motherboard designs integrate the video chipset into the mother board itself and use a
part of the system RAM for the frame buffer. This is called Unified Memory Architecture.

AGP Accelerated Graphics Port or AGP: Intel’s fast growing technology. AGP allows the video
processor access the system memory for graphic calculation but keeps a dedicated video
memory for the frame buffer. AGP is considered a port – a dedicated interface between the
video chipset and the system processor.

Display Processor or Graphics Controller or Display Coprocessor is connected to as an I/O

peripheral to the CPU. Such processor assist the CPU in Scan-Conversion (Digitizing a picture
definition created by some graphics application program i. e. loading the frame buffer locations
with binary equivalents of pixel intensity values calculated by the application programs.
1.4 Random Scan Display: In random scan technique, the electron beam is directed
straightway to the particular point(s) of the screen where the image is produced. It generated
the image by drawing a set of random straight lines much in the same way one might move a
pencil over a piece of paper to draw an image - drawing stroke from point to another, one line
at a time. This is why this technique is also referred as vector drawing or stroke writing or
calligraphic display.

1.5 Direct View Storage Tube: DVST is rarely used today as display system. DVST uses no
refresh buffer. The images are created by drawing vectors or line segment with a relatively
slow-moving electron beam. The beam is designed not to draw directly on phosphor but on a
fine wire mesh (called storage mesh) coated with dielectric and mounted just behind the
screen. A pattern of positive charge is deposited on the grid, and this pattern is transferred to
the phosphor coated screen by a continuous flood of electron emanating from a separate flood
gun.

Just behind the storage mesh is a second grid, the collector, whose main purpose is to smooth
out the flow of flood electrons. These electrons pass through the collector at low velocity and
are attracted to the positively charged portions of the storage mesh but repelled by the rest.
Electrons not repelled by the storage mesh pass right through it and strike the phosphor.

To increase energy of these slow moving electrons and thus create bright picture, the screen is
maintained at a high positive.

The storage tube retains the image generated until it is erased. Thus no refreshing is necessary,
and the image is absolutely flickering free.

1.6 Flat Panel Display: These display devices are smaller, lighter and specifically thinner than
the conventional CRT.

Types of flat panel display:

1. LCD Panel 2. Plasma Panel 3. LED Panel 4. Thin CRT

1.6.1 LCD:
1.6.2 Plasma Panel:

1.7 Flatbed Scanner: