Building a puzzle without a clear picture of the final image is nearly impossible. While this seems obvious, in many situations, defining the desired outcome isn’t straightforward. Expertise and problem complexity can create doubt and uncertainty.
When facing uncertainty, I find it helpful to explore a field broadly before diving into specifics. This general exploration includes understanding basic concepts, applications, and foundational knowledge—elements that might seem irrelevant but are crucial for forming a comprehensive mental picture.
In this post, I will explore the relationship between computer science and computer graphics. By providing relevant data and insights, I aim to clarify their potential connections and the boundaries within these ever-evolving fields.
Computer science
Computer science is the study of computers and computing, including their theoretical and algorithmic foundations, hardware and software, and their uses for processing information. It’s part of the family of five separate and interrelated disciplines: computer engineering, information systems, information technology, software engineering and computer science. These five disciplines are interrelated in the sense that computing is their object of study, but they are separate since each has its own research perspective and curricular focus.
Note
For over 30 years, the Association for Computing Machinery ACM, the Institute of Electronical and Electronics Engineers IEEE, and the Associations for Information Systems AIS have collaborated to develop and update the taxonomy of these five interrelated disciplines. Defining the boundaries of what is included or excluded in these fields is complex. It’s important to remember that there is no absolute or irrefutable method for this—only ongoing attempts and evolving guidelines.
Computer Science Fields
As a discipline, computer science spans a range of topics from theoretical studies to applied problems. *The Computing Sciences Accreditation Board CSAB defines its fields to include software engineering, artificial intelligence, computer networking and communication, database systems, parallel computation, computer graphics, operating systems, and more. The following graph encapsulates part of this distinction based on information from Wikipedia:
Computer Science and Computer Graphics connection
As illustred in the graph above, computer graphis is a field of computer science that focuses on the creation of digital and visual content, involving the synthesis and manipulation of image data. This field is interconnected with various others subfields within computer science and outside, including: computer vision, image processing, computational geometry, real-time computing, Software develpment, etc. Computer graphics has significant applications in the enterteinment industry, particularly in computer animation and video games.
Some interconection
These are some of the key connections between computer graphics and other subfields of computer science. While these are the most obvious interconnections, I encourage you to continue exploring and identifying additional relationships to broaden your understanding and expand your knowledge in this dynamic field.
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Computer vision: Is a field of artificial intelligence and neural networks to teach computers and systems to derive meaningful information from digital images, videos and other visual inputs, basicky computer vision enable computers to see, observe and understand.
Computer vision techniques are often used in computer graphics for tasks such as object recognition and tracking, facial recognition, and gesture detection in interactive applications like virtual reality and augmented reality. Computer graphics can enhance computer vision by visualizing processed data, creating realistic 3D representations of scenes, and enabling visual simulations for testing vision algorithms.
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Image processing: Is a field of image and sound processing dedicated to create computational techniques for analyzing, enhancing, and manipulating digital images to extract meaningful information or improve their quality.
Image processing techniques are foundational in computer graphics for tasks such as texture mapping, image-based lighting, and post-processing effects like blur, sharpening, and color correction. Computer graphics utilizes image processing to enhance visual realism and fidelity in rendered images and animations.
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Computational geometry: Its part of the branch of data structures and algorithms focuses on problems involving geometric objects such as points, lines, polygons, and their relationships in multidimensional spaces.
Computational geometry plays a crucial role in computer graphics by providing algorithms and techniques for geometric modeling, geometric transformations, collision detection, and spatial data structures. These algorithms are essential for tasks such as rendering complex 3D scenes, handling geometric constraints in CAD (Computer-Aided Design), and simulating physical interactions in virtual environments. Computer graphics relies on computational geometry to efficiently process and manipulate geometric data, ensuring accurate representation and interaction with graphical objects and environments.
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Real-time computing: A subfield of computer architecture that focuses on computer systems with hardware and software components designed to perform real-time application functions.
Real-time computing is crucial for computer graphics applications that require rapid rendering and updating of graphical content, such as interactive simulations, virtual reality, and video games. Graphics rendering engines and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) optimize real-time performance by processing and rendering graphical data efficiently.
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Software development: Software development involves designing, programming, testing, and maintaining software applications and systems.
Software development in computer graphics focuses on creating graphics engines, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces),libraries that enable developers to build interactive graphics applications and software to accomplish production neccesities or requirements. Graphics software development integrates algorithms for rendering, animation, and visual effects to produce immersive visual experiences in games, simulations, and virtual environments.
References
Ref.1 = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science
Ref.2 = https://www.eecs.mit.edu/research/computer-science/#:~:text=Computer%20science%20deals%20with%20the,of%20user%20requests%20per%20day.
Ref.3 = https://www.britannica.com/science/computer-science
Ref.4 = https://www.ibm.com/topics/computer-vision
Ref.5 = https://www.britannica.com/technology/image-processing
Ref.6 = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_geometry
Ref.7 = https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/robotics/real-time-systems.html#articleparagraph_63245574
Ref.8 = https://www.ibm.com/topics/software-development