Vocabulary Bank Unit 18

Task 1. Read, write the translation and learn the basic vocabulary terms:

1. Bezier Curve

2. bitmapped graphics

3. computer-aided design

4. constructive solid geometry

5. continuity

6. contour line

7. dedicated programs

8. density

9. depth of field

10. desktop publishing (DTP)

11. digital art

12. digital cartooning systems

13. distinction

14. distorted

15. edge

16. fractal (n)

17. frame

18. freehand drawing

19. geographical information system (GIS)

20. hardware acceleration

21. hierarchical editing

22. high-resolution output

23. illustration packages

24. implicit surfaces

25. index of refraction

26. keyframing

27. layout program

28. lens flares

29. lighting

30. luminosity

31. motion blur

32. non uniform rational B-spline (NURBS)

33. non-interactive media

34. NURBS modelling

35. polygonal modelling

36. Predictable

37. real-time imagery

38. reflections

39. rendering

40. resolution

41. scene description language

42. scene layout

43. shaping

44. simulated artefact of a camera

45. spline modelling

46. subdivision surfaces

47. the Koch snowflake

48. the Mandelbrot set

49. theatre lighting technician

50. to be scaled

51. to benefit

52. to contribute

53. to establish

54. transparency

55. vector graphics

56. visual techniques

Text 18 A. TYPES OF GRAPHICS SOFTWARE

Computer graphics are pictures created, changed or processed by computers. There are two categories.

1. Bitmapped graphics represent images as bitmaps; they are stored as pixels and can become a bit distorted when they are manipulated. The density of dots, known as the resolution and expressed in dots per inch, determines how sharp the image is.

2. Vector graphics represent images as mathematical formulae, so they can be changed or scaled without losing quality. They are ideal for high-resolution output.

There are different types of graphics software.

• Image manipulation programs let you edit your favourite images. For example, you can scan a picture into your PC or transfer a photo from your camera and then add different effects, or filters.

• Painting and drawing programs, also called illustration packages, offer facilities for freehand drawing, with a wide choice of pens and brushes, colours and patterns. One example is Windows Paint.

• Business graphics programs, also called presentation software, let you create pie charts, bar charts and line graphs of all kinds for slide shows and reports. You can import data from a database or spreadsheet to generate the graphs. (Spreadsheets, or worksheets, are mathematical tables which show figures in rows and columns. A spreadsheet program helps you manage personal and business finances.)

• Computer-aided design (CAD) is used by engineers and architects to design everything from cars and planes to buildings and furniture. First they make a wireframe, a drawing with edges and contour lines. Then if they want to colour the objects and add texture, they create a surface for the object; this is called ‘filling the surface’. Finally, the design is rendered to make the object look realistic. Rendering is a process that adds realism to graphics by using shading, light sources and reflections.

• Desktop publishing (DTP) is based around a page layout program, which lets you import text from a word processor, clip-art (ready-made pictures) from graphics packages, and images from scanners or cameras, and arrange them all on a page. It is used to design and publish books, newspapers, posters, advertisements, etc.

• Digital art, or computer art, is done with applets that use mathematical formulae to create beautiful bright shapes called fractals. A fractal is a geometric figure with special properties, e.g. the Koch snowflake or the Mandelbrot set. Fractals can also be used to model real objects like clouds, coastlines or landscapes.

• Computer animation uses graphics program (e.g. digital cartooning systems) to create or edit moving pictures. Each image in a sequence of images is called a ‘frame’.

• Geographic information systems (GIS) allow cartographers to create detailed maps.

Task 2. Decide which type of graphics software is best for these users.

1) a person who wants to edit photos at home; 2) an economist who wants to present statistics in a form that can be easily understood; 3) engineers who need to design the interior and exterior of a new airplane; 4) a company which needs to design and publish a magazine; 5) an artist who wants to produce illustrations and freehand drawings for a book; 6) an organization that needs to make maps and 3D virtual models of the surface of the Earth; 7) computer animators who make movies like Toy Story and Shrek; 8) a mathematician who wants to make fractal shapes of natural phenomena

Task 3. Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Translate.

presentation software image manipulation filters bitmaps page layout rendering fractals

1. … are stored as pixels and can become a bit distorted when they are manipulated. 2. In painting programs and image editors, … are special effects that can be applied to a picture, including drop shadows, textures, distortions, etc. 3. … let you create pie charts, bar charts and line graphs. 4. … adds textures to each surface and generates realistic reflections, shadows and highlights. 5. … are geometrical patterns that are repeated at a small scale to generate irregular shapes, some of which are similar to objects in nature. 6. … program lets you import text from a word processor, clip-art from graphics packages and images from scanners or cameras. 7. … programs let you edit your favourite images.

Task 4. Translate the following text from Ukrainian into English:

Існує величезна область так званої технічної графіки. Геодезисти і картографи, поліграфісти і астрономи, конструктори та архітектори, дизайнери, модельєри, творці реклами, медики - це далеко не всі, кому необхідна можливість роботи із зображенням за допомогою комп'ютера. Таке призначення програми "графічний редактор". Використання цих програм відкриває перед людьми нові професійні можливості. Зображення в комп'ютерній графіці являє собою безліч точок різного кольору, які утворюють статичне або динамічне (що змінюється, рухається) зображення. Саме у зв'язку з цією можливістю розвивається новий вид мистецтва - комп'ютерна мультиплікація (анімація). Основні функції програми графічного редактора - забезпечення створення зображень, їх редагування, збереження в зовнішній пам'яті (ВЗУ) і отримання копій на папері, кіноплівці і т.п. Серед користувачів IBM-сумісних комп'ютерів найбільшу популярність здобули такі графічні редактори як PaintBrush, CorelDraw та ін.

Task 5. Translate the following words into Ukrainian:

modeling, akin, analogous, rely, blur, occasionally, technique, effect, primarily, visual, imagery, acceleration, sequentially, process, polygonal, luminosity, diffuse, transparency, affect, virtual, technicians, transforming, circumference, tessellation, approximately, transferred, flares, merely, artifact, volumetric, proprietary, curve.

Task 6. Discuss the following questions:

1. What computer graphics programs do you know?

2. Where can we use computer graphics?

3. What skills should a computer graphics developer have?

Task 7. Read and translate the following text and do the exercises below.

Text 18B. COMPUTER GRAPHICS

3D computer graphics are works created by computers and specialized 3D software. In general, the art of 3D modelling is akin to photography, while the art of 2D graphics is analogous to painting. 3D computer graphics relies on the same algorithms that 2D computer graphics does. In computer graphics software this distinction is occasionally blurred. Some 2D applications use 3D techniques to achieve certain effects, e.g., lighting, while some primarily 3D applications make use of 2D visual techniques, i.e., 2D graphics is a subset of 3D graphics.

OpenGL and Direct 3D are two popular APIs for the generation of real-time imagery. Many modern graphics cards provide hardware acceleration based on the APIs that frequently enable to display complex 3D graphics in real-time. However, it is unnecessary to employ any of them to create 3D computer graphics. The process of creating 3D computer graphics can be divided into three basic stages, such as: modelling, scene layout setup and rendering.

The modelling stage can be described as shaping individual objects later used in the scene. There exist a number of modelling techniques, for instance, constructive solid geometry, NURBS modelling, polygonal modelling, subdivision surfaces and implicit surfaces. Modelling may also include editing object surface or material properties (e.g., colour, luminosity, reflection characteristics, transparency or index of refraction), adding textures and others. It may also include various activities related to preparing for animation of a 3D model. Modelling can be performed by means of dedicated programs (e.g., Lightwave Modeller, Rhinoceros 3D, Moray), application components (Shaper, Lofter in 3D Studio) or a scene description language.

Scene layout setup involves arranging virtual objects, lights, cameras and other entities on a scene which will be later used to produce an image or an animation. If it is used for animation, this stage usually makes use of a technique called «key framing». This technique facilitates creation of complicated movements in the scene. Lighting is an important aspect of stage setup. Its effects can contribute greatly to the mood and emotional response, facts which are well-known to photographers and theatre lighting technicians.

Rendering is the final stage of creating the actual 2D image or animation from the prepared scene. Rendering for interactive media, such as, games and simulation, is calculated and displayed in real time, at rates of approximately 20 to 120 frames per second. Animations for non-interactive media, such as, video and film, are rendered much more slowly. For complex scenes rendering time of individual frames may vary from few seconds to an hour or more. Rendered frames are stored on a hard disk and then transferred to other media, such as, motion picture film or optical disk. These frames can be displayed at high frame rates, typically 24, 25 or 30 frames per second, to achieve the illusion of motion. Rendering software may simulate such visual effects as lens flares, depth of field or motion blur.

These are attempts to simulate visual phenomena resulting from the optical characteristics of cameras and human eye. These effects can lend an element of realism to a scene, even if the effect is merely a simulated artefact of a camera.

Techniques have been developed in order to simulate other naturally-occurring effects, for instance, the interaction of light with various forms of matter. Examples of such techniques include particle systems (which can simulate rain, smoke or fire), volumetric sampling (to simulate fog, dust and other spatial atmospheric effects) and a lot of others. Rendering is computationally expensive. Software for rendering is included in 3D software packages, but there are some rendering systems that are used as plug-ins to popular 3D applications.

The output of the rendering software is often used as only one small part of a completed motion-picture scene. Many layers of material may be rendered separately and integrated into the final stage by using special software packages.

NURBS stands for « » and is a mathematical model commonly used in computer graphics for generating and representing curves and surfaces. The development of NURBS (actually the Bezier Curve) began in the 1950s by engineers who needed free form surfaces representation like those that used for car bodies and ship hulls. Prior representations of this kind of surfaces existed only as a single physical model created by the designer.

NURBS is important for computer-aided design, manufacturing, engineering (CAD, CAM, CAE) and is a standard for numerous industries. But there is still a lot of confusion about their advantages and disadvantages for interactive modelling. In general, it is known that editing NURBS curves and surfaces is highly intuitive and predictable. Depending on the type of user interface, editing can be realized via NURBS control points, most obvious and common for Bezier curves, or via higher level tools, such as, spline modelling or hierarchical editing. Higher level tools can be designed to be very powerful and benefit from the ability of NURBS to create and establish continuity of different levels.

Task 8. Decide whether the following statements are true or false. It they are false, correct them.

1. All 2D applications use 3D techniques to achieve certain effects.

2. The output of the rendering software is seldom used as only one small part of a completed motion picture scene.

3. Real-time, interactive rendering of NURBS curves and surfaces were first made available in 1989.

4. Polygon representations are not used in all rendering techniques.

5. The first interactive NURBS modeling software for PCs was called CAS.

Task 9. Look in the text and find synonyms to the following:

operate, information, often, similar, method, different, too, famous, stage, result, several, to be able to.

Task 10. Arrange the words in the correct order to make sentences:

1. image, in, means, occurs, Real-time, generation, «on-the-fly», that, or, «real-time».

2. in, representation, geometric, stored, the, A, computer, three-dimensional, of, is, data.

3. starts, model, The, process, a, 3D, cel-shading, typical, with.

4. is, occurs, a, The, drawn, difference, cel-shaded, on-screen, when, object.

5. significant, factor, is, contributing, a, Lighting.

Task 11. Define the following terms:

graphics, algorithm, model, real-time, frame, simulation, technique, package, interactive, data.

Task 12. What do the following abbreviations stand for?

3D, API, NURBS, CAD, CAM, CAE, PC.

Task 13. Discuss the following questions:

1. What is 3D computer graphics?

2. In what cases do 2D applications use 3D techniques?

3. What are the stages of creating 3D computer graphics?

4. What do you know about modeling techniques?

5. What special programs can be used for modeling?

6. Who created NURBS?

7. When did NURBS appear?

8. What are the spheres of NURBS application?

LANGUAGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Exercise 1. Translate the sentences paying attention to Complex Object construction.

1. The transmission mode enables the receiving computer to know where one byte ends and next byte begins on the transmission medium. 2. A remote terminal enables the user to operate the distant computer, just as is that person were sitting in front of the distant computer and using its keyboard. 3. A good communication program directs the modem to dial the telephone number needed. 4. Electronic mail (e-mail) enables you to send messages from your computer for access at someone else’s computer. 5. Compared to the postal service, electronic mail has many advantages. Many systems let you check to see whether the recipient has accessed your message. 6. International electronic mail systems enable you to find “pen pals” all over the world. 7. Some e-mail systems require you to be part of the same system to receive your message. 8. Facsimile transmission enables you to send an image of a document over the telephone lines to anyone who has a fax machine. 9. Electronic mail, or e-mail, allows messages sent from your computer to be accessed by the recipient at his or her computer, as long as you both have access to the same e-mail system.10. Bulletin board systems (BBSs) enable independent computer users, using telecommunications, to interact with each other through a central contact. 11. Computer networks enable us to conquer another dimension – space. 12. The file allocation table enables the computer to locate data easily. 13. CD-erasable enables users to store, access, and reuse discs in the same way that floppy discs can be used. 14. Computer keyboards include keys that are designed to perform specific tasks. These keys enable the user to perform complex tasks easily when using the application. 15. Optical recognition systems enable the computer “to read” data by scanning printed text for recognizable patterns. 16. A debugger is system software that helps programmers identify errors. 17. Programming languages require certain formalities, and advanced text editors help programmers stick to the proper forms. 18. The event is a message that causes a procedure (subprogram) attached to the object to respond. 19. Fortran enables programmers to describe and solve mathematical calculations readily. 20. System software programs help the hardware components work together and provide support for application programs. 21. Engineers consider computing equipment to make production processes more effective.

Exercise 2. Translate the sentences paying attention to Complex Subject construction.

Сomplex Subject Computing equipment is known to make production process more effective. - Відомо, що комп'ютерне обладнання робить виробничі процеси більш ефективними. (Комп'ютерне обладнання, як відомо, робить виробничі процеси більш ефективними.) The chip appeared to be a crucial development in the accelerating pace of computer technology. - Кристали виявилися важливим винаходом в прискоренні розвитку комп'ютерних технологій. He is certain to know the password. - Безсумнівно, він знає пароль.

1. The programmer is free to concentrate on the desired result – what the program is supposed to accomplish – rather than worry about the details of how the computer operates. 2. Each new communications technology or application seems to require its own standards. 3. Internet-2 is expected to be deployed around this year. 4. Each new communications technology or application seems to require its own standards. 5. Capturing data at the source minimizes errors because the people who key the data are doing a variety of tasks and are therefore less likely to make errors due to boredom. 6. Processor is known to refer to the processing circuits: central processing unit, memory, interrupt unit, clock, and timing. 7. Many so-called general-purpose computers are known to have features which restrict their use to certain general problem areas. 8. The desk computer is expected to function as your personal librarian, carry out simple optimization computations, control your budget or diet, play several hundred games, etc. 9. Further development of the computer is believed to lead to a situation in which most of the knowledge accepted by mankind will be stored in computers and made accessible to anyone with a home computer. 10. The development of the project appears to be improving. 11. He proved to be an excellent programmer. 12. At present the most important examples of semiconductors seem to be silicon and germanium. 13. The importance of mathematics for all sciences is known to be growing rapidly. 14. The creation of complex modern machines is considered to require a thoroughly developed industry and a high technical level in all branches of industry. 15. The program proved to be a great success.

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences paying attention to the for-phrase construction.

Прийменниковий інфінітивний зворот "for + іменник (займенник) + інфінітив" (for-phrase) виконує роль будь-якого члена пропозиції: доповнення, частини присудка (в науковій літературі найчастіше функції обставини мети або слідства) і перекладається в залежності від виконуваної ним функції. Може перекладатися підрядним реченням, зі сполучниками що, щоб, для того щоб, який, підметом якого стає іменник або займенник, що стоїть перед інфінітивом, а присудком - інфінітив. The only conclusion for him to make was the following. Єдиний висновок, до якого він міг прийти, полягав у наступному. Можливий переклад цього обороту іменником або інфінітивом: It was important for us to solve this problem as soon as possible. Нам було важливо вирішити цю проблему якомога швидше.

1. It is important for the researchers to fulfill their work in time. 2. It takes more time for the reaction to complete at low t. 3. It is impossible for the driver to stop the car at such a high speed quickly. 4. The problem I spoke to you about is too difficult for the designers to be solved in a year or so. 5. Here is one more important point for the speaker to explain. 6. These stars are too remote for the astronomer to answer these questions. 7. He proved that it was possible for the angle to be altered. 8. It is possible for computers to handle all types of information. 9. For a computer to be programmed each problem must be reduced to a series of very simple steps. 10. Two hours were sufficient for the reaction to occur. 11. The language of specialists is often difficult for the layman to read. 12. There is a tendency for the method to be used in all the experiments. 13. It took a long time for mathematicians to realize that not all continuous functions have a derivative. 14. A computer is a suitable machine for them to use in their research work. 15. All the instruments for that computer to work properly have been given.

Exercise 4. Fill in the gaps in these sentences with a suitable verb in the correct form.