In this series I aim to provide fast overviews about mid level computer graphics topics. The aim is for the reader to be able to understand the basics of the problems faced in real-time computer graphics, specifically as applied to games.

Inspiration

Real-time graphics in games today is quickly approaching offline quality a few years ago. It is a fast moving field that can leave behind the ones that haven’t kept up to date. Books and courses become quickly outdated, and sometimes things can to change faster than universities and colleges can keep up with.

Intro

I’ve had multiple people come with something along the lines of โ€œLast time I did graphics was in college, but I’m keen to learn more! Any resources you can recommend?”. I usually point them at the fantastic GPU Gems and GPU Pro series of books, SIGGRAPH presentations, OpenGL 4 tutorials and whatnot. Problem is that these resources usually target either specific APIs, or drive deep specific topics.

Hence I’m inspired to create this series of blog posts, in hopes of being a tasting appetiser plate for real-time computer graphics; a bite sized piece of everything.

Audience

These quick takes are targeted at entry to intermediate level computer graphics programmers, and assume a basic level knowledge of the topic. Experienced digital artists and technical artists looking to extend their technical knowledge may also find these topics helpful. I’m mostly going to cover real-time topics, since that’s the area I have experience in myself. If you are a programmer looking to get a start in graphics, I recommend http://www.opengl-tutorial.org!