Computer Graphics

Question 1

The field of computer science that studies methods and techniques for creating, representing and manupulating image data by computer technology; the digital images so produced. Archtiectural applications of computer graphics range from two-dimensional architectural drawing to three-dimensional mnodelling and energy, lighting and acoustic simulations of building performance.

Answer 1

Computer Graphics

Question 2

A digital image that consists of a grid of closely spaced pixels.

Answer 2

Raster Image or Bitmap Image

• Raster images are typically characterized by pixel width and height and by the number of bits per pixel and can be stored in various file formats and viewed on a monitor, projected on a screen or printed on paper. Digital pgotographs are prime examples of raster images.*
• Raster images are resolution dependent. The smaller and closer the pixels are together the better the image quality and the larger the file size of the data structure. When the same number of pixels are spead out over a larger area and the size of each pixel grows, the image becomes grainy or pixellated, as the resolution of the eye enables it to pick out individual pixels.*

Question 3

A digital image created and defined by mathematically based software routines for such geometric primitives as points, straight lines, curves and shapes and from which more complex graphic elements can be created.

Answer 3

Vector Image

• Unlike raster images, vector images are individual objects with independent, editable attributes such as outline, fill, color, shading and transparency. They are resolution independent and scalable up to the resolution of the device displying or printing them.*
• Vector images can be converted to bitmaps in a process called restering.*

Question 4

A data structure representing a generally square or rectangular grid of pixels.

Answer 4

Bitmap

Question 5

Contration of pircture + element: the smallest addressable area of illumination on a display screen.

Answer 5

Pixel

Question 6

Contraction of binary + digit: a variable or computed quantity that can have only two possible values, such as the binary digits, 0 and 1, or logical values, such as true/false, yes/no, or on/off.

Answer 6

Bit

Question 7

The number of bits available for representing the color of a single pixel in a raster or bitmapped image. The more bits per pixel, the more colors can be displayed.

Answer 7

Bit Depth or Color Depth

Question 8

Any of a class of mathematically derived curves developed by French engineer Pierre Bezier for CAD/CAM operations.

Answer 8

Bezier Curve

A simple Bezier curve has two anchor points, which define the endpoints of the curve and two control points, which lie outside the curve and control the curvature of the path. A number of simple Bezier curves can be joined to form more complex curves. The collinear relationship between the two handles at an anchor point ensures a smooth curvature wherever the path changes curvature.

Question 9

A color model in which white is the additive combination of three primary colored lights - red, green and blue- and black is the absence of light. Red, green and blue lights can be added together in various ways to reproduce the spectrum of colors we see. The main purpose of this is for the sensing, represetation and display of images in electronic display systems such as digital cameras, scanners and projectors, computer monitors and televisions.

Answer 9

RGB Color Model

Question 10

The degree of detail visible in a printed image or an image displayed on a computer monitor. The resolution of an image depends not only on how it was created but also on its physical size and the distance from which we view it.

Answer 10

Resolution

Question 11

The resolution at which the charge-coupled device (CCD) or other sensor of a scanner samples an original, usually expressed in samples per inch (SPI). Manufacturers often use dots per inch (DPI). In line of SPI in specifying the resolution capability of their scanners, but technically there are no dots in the scanned image until it is printed. The higher the resolution of the scanned image, the more faithful the scan is to the original.

Answer 11

Scanner Resolution

Question 12

The resolution at which a computer monitor displays an image, which may be specified by the number of pixels per inch (PPI) that can be displayed in each direction (eg. a pixel density of 96 PPI), or by the number of columns and rows of pixels per inch (PPI) creating the display (eg. Pixel dimensionsof 1280 x 800)

Answer 12

Display Resolution

Question 13

A method for representing and storing graphical image information using a 24-bit color depth to allow more than 16 million colors to be displayed in a digital image.

Answer 13

True Color

In the 24-bit RGB color model, each red, green and blue component of a pixel is 8 bits long and has 256 possible variations in intensity, calibrated along a scale from 0 to 255, with 0 indicating the least intensity and 255 the greatest. An RGB value of 0,0,0 would result in black (no intensity for red, green and blue) and an RGB value of 255, 255, 255 would result in white (full intensity for red, green and blue). When three components are combined, there are 256 x 256 x 256 posible combinations resulting in 16,777,216 possible colors, each of which can be assigned a specific RGB value.

Question 14

The resolution at which the electronic sensor of a digital camera captures an image, expressed in megapixels or how many millions of pixels it can record in a single image. For example, a camera that captures 1600 x 1200 pixels produces an image with a resolution of 1.92 million pixes, which is rounded up to 2 megapixels for marketing purposes.

Answer 14

Camera Resolution

If an image is to be viewed only on-screen or projected digitally, creating or scanning it beyond the screen resolution of the monitor or projector is a waste of image data and unnecessarily increase file sizes and download times. Note, too, that the same picture on a low-resolution monitor looks larger than it does on a higher-resolution monitor because the same number of pixels are spread out over a larger area.

Question 15

The resolution at which an imagesetter, laser printer, or other printing device can produce text and graphics, usually measured in dots of ink or toner per inch (DPI). Most printers print the same number of dots horizontally and vertically. For example, a 600 DPI printer will place 600 tiny little dots across a horizontal inch and 600 dots in a vertical inch.

Answer 15

Print Resolution

Question 16

Acronym for the four colored inks used in the printing process - cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Answer 16

CMYK

Question 17

A color model in which the four colored inks used in color printing - cyan, magenta, yellow, and black - subtract brightness from the typically white background of the paper, with black resulting from the full combination of colored inks. Each of these colors absorbs certain wavelengths of light, with the colors we see being the colors that are not absorbed. By using a halftone of dots for each color, the full spectrum of printed colors can be achieved.

Answer 17

CYMK color model

Question 18

The use of computer technology in the design of real or virtual objects and environments. The term includes a variety of software and hardware technologies, from the vector-based drawing and drafting of lines and figures in two-dimensional space (2D CAD) to the modeling and animation of surfaces and solids in three-dimensional (3D CAD) space.

Answer 18

Computer-Aided-Design (CAD)

Question 19

CADD means

Answer 19

Computer Aided Design and Drafting

Question 20

The use of computer technology and mathematical algorithms to create abstract models of systems and processes to simulate their behavior. For architectural applications, computer modeling software enables the creation and manipulation of virtual, three-dimensional models of existing or proposed buildings and environments for analysis, testing and appraisal.

Answer 20

Computer Modeling

Question 21

Computer modelling that represents both the geometric structure and the interior volume of a three-dimensional object or building. With a solid model, it is possible to assign physical properties, calculate physical behavior, and to check for object interference.

Answer 21

Solid Modelling

Question 22

Computer modeling that represents the form of a three-dimensional object or building by specifying the vertices and edges of all mathematically continuous surfaces, including opposite sides and all internal components normally hidden from view.

Answer 22

Wireframe Modeling

Question 23

Computer modelling that represents the geometric structure of a three-dimensional object or building by defining its surfaces rather than its interior volume, usually with polygons consisting of vertices, edges, and facesm creating a polygon mesh that can be edited by subividing, trimming, intersecting, stretching or projecting. Because curved surfaces can only be approximated by a polygon mesh, such mathematical algorithms as non0uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) are used to model true curves and complex surfaces. Modeled surfaces can also be texture-mapped to add color and texture, and be assigned weight and a center of gravity for simulations.

Answer 23

Surface Modelling

Question 24

Computer modeling that uses rules and constraints to define and represent the attributes and behaviors of a three-dimensional object or building and to maintain consistent relationships and interactions among its elements and components.

Answer 24

Parametric Modeling

also Feature-Based Modelling

Conventional digital modeling creates explicit, coordinate-based geomeric models, the rules for making changes are implicit and must be understood and implemented by the designer, In parametric modeling, the rules are explicit and the geometry is implicit. The programming environment of a parametric model enables the used to define the rules and constraints that control such aspects as geometry, position, orientation, material properties and building performance criteria. When any element is modified, the para metric change engine in the software determines which other, related elements must be adjusted and how to make the change.

Question 25

Any of a number of operations based on Boolean logic and used in computer modeling to form more complex objects from a set of primitives, such as the cube, cylinder, sphere, pyramid or cone.

Answer 25

Boolean Operations

Question 26

_____ is an additive process that combines two or more individual and separate solids into a single new solid that consists of both the common and uncommon volumes of the selected solids.

Answer 26

Boolean Union

Question 27

______ is a subtractive process that removes or varves out the common volume from either one or the other of the selected solids.

Answer 27

Boolean Difference

Question 28

____ is a process that creates a new solid based on the common volume shared by two or more selected solids.

Answer 28

Boolean Intersection

Question 29

A digital technology for creating, managing, coordinating and optimizing building data, using a database of project information and three-dimensional, dynamic modeling software to facilitate the exchange and interoperability of building information, including building geometry, spatial relationships, lighting analysis, geographic information and quantities and properties of building materials and components. Building information modeling software can be used for the life-cycle of a building from design to visualization studies, production of contract documents, simulation and analysis of building performance, coordination of the construction process, and management of facilities operation.

Answer 29

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Question 30

BIM modeling that integrates three-dimensional CAD drawings with the fourth dimension of time to visualize the construction sequence and Identify scheduling constraints, conflicts, and opportunities for optimization.

Answer 30

4D Modelling

Question 31

BIM modeling that integrates three-dimensional CAD drawings with the dimensions of time and cost data to visually link design and scheduling with pricing and budgeting for equipment, labor, and materials. It enables users to analyze the effect a contemplated change would have on other sections of a project as well as how the change might affect both cost and scheduling.

Answer 31

5D modelling

Question 32

Trademarked name for an international organization with representaton in North Americal, Europe, Asia, and Australia, bringing together architectects, engineers, contractors, facilities managers, product manufacturers, and software vendors to define and develop open international standards and protocols for data exchange in building information modeling, formerly the Internation Alliance for Interoperability.

Answer 32

BuildingSMART International

Question 33

Trademarked name for a council of the National institute of Building Standards (NIBS), established to develop and promote open standards for gathering, maintaining, and communicating technical information for the design, construction and facilities industries, and the full life-cycle implementation of a single National Building Information Model Standard (NBIMS)

Answer 33

BuildingSMART Alliance

Question 34

A project of the buildingSMART alliance to develop a series of open-source national standards and guidance for all aspects of building information moeling for the architecture, engineering, construction and facilities management industries.

Answer 34

NAtional Building Information Model Standard. (NBIMS)

Question 35

An open specification for an object-oriented file format for BIM modeling, developed and maintained by buildingSMART International (formerly the International Alliance for Interoperability) to facilitate interoperability among software platforms in the building industry.

Answer 35

Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)

Question 36

Trademark for a construction classification structure for electronic databases, incorporating other extant systems currently in use, such as MasterFormat and Uniformat.

Answer 36

OmniClass

Question 37

The computer modeling of a natural, human, or engineering system to predict and evaluate its behavior and performance, esp. when too complex for conventional analytic solutions.

Answer 37

Computer Simulation

In architecture, simulation pragrams employ algorithms for visualizing and analyzing the performance of an existing building or a design proposal within the context of its environment, based on initial parameters and variables asuumed for the environment. COmputer simulations can occur throught the architectural design process, from the earliest stages of conceptual design to construction documentation and construction. Specific areas that can be modeled and simulated include structural behavior, thermal performance, energy efficiency, water usage, incidence of solar radiation, daylighting and acoustics.

Question 38

Any of a range of digital techniques for modeling and simulating the lighting of three-dimensional forms and spaces.

Answer 38

Digital Lighting

Question 39

A digital technique for analyzing the three-dimensional geometry of forms and determining the illumination and shading of surfaces based on their orientation to an assumed light source. Ray casting does not take into accout the way light travels after intersecting a surface and therefore cannot accurately render reflections, refractions, or the natural fall off of shadows.

Answer 39

Ray Casting

Question 40

A basic level of ray tracing that is limited to direct illumination and ambient light rays. Local illumination does not take into account the diffuse inter-reflection of light among the surfaces in a three-dimensional space or scene.

Answer 40

Local illumination

Question 41

A computationally intensive digital technique that uses sophosticated algorithms to more accurately simulate the illumination of a space or scene by taking into account not only the light rays that are emitted directly from one or more sources but also tracking the light rays as they are reflected or refracted from one surface to another, especially the diffuse inter-reflections that occur among the surfaces in a space or scene.

Answer 41

Global Illumination

Question 42

A global illumination technique for simulating the optical effects of illumination, executed by tracing the path a ray of light travels from its source to a surface that interrupts its progress, where it may be absorbed, reflected or refracted in one or more directions, depending on the material, color, and texture of the surface.

Answer 42

Ray Tracing

Question 43

A global illumination algorith for rendering all of the luminous energy emitted and reflected from the diffuse surfaces in a scene, based on a detailed analysis of the rate of transfer of radiant energy between the surfaces. Considered to be more accurate but also more computationally intensive than ray tracing, radiosity assumes that all surfaces emit and reflect energy uniformly over the entire area, and that all of the energy in an environment can be accounted for through absorption and reflection.

Answer 43

Radiosity

Question 44

The use of computer technology to control the operations of a manufacturing plant, especially the control of machine tools. Advantages of computer-aided manufacturing include greater precision, efficiency and material consistency and a reduction in energy consumption and waste.

Answer 44

Computer Aided Manufacturing

Question 45

Any of various techniques for fabricating physical objects using the data from a CAD drawing or virtual 3d model and additive manufacturing technology to lay down successive layers of liquid, poweder or sheet material, which are glued or fused together to created the final physical model.

Answer 45

Rapid Prototyping

Question 46

A computer-drived rapid prototyping process using a printer to build a physical model directly from 3D CAD data.

Answer 46

3D Printing

Question 47

An additive manufacturing technology for producing physical objects or models, using a vat of liquid UV-curable photopolymer resin and a UV laser to fabricated the designed object a single thin layer at a time.

Answer 47

Stereolithography

Question 48

Computer numerical control router: a machine tool or other powered mechanical device driven and controlled by a computer program to fabricated components, especially by the milling of plywood and other sheet materials.

Answer 48

CNC Router

Question 49

The use of 3D modeling software and a CNC router, a aser cutter, or a Z plotter to fabricate a hysical object or component. The nature of the process encourages generative strategies.

Answer 49

digital fabrication

Question 50

A machine that uses a computer-controlled laser to cut, bore, or engrave such sheet materials as paperboard, basswood, and plexiglass. Industrial-grade laser cutters can also be used on structural and piping materials.

Answer 50

Laser Cutter

Question 51

A computer-controlled machine that uses additive manufacturing technology to fabricated a plot of three-dimensional data.

Answer 51

Z plotter