Computer Graphics

Computer graphics, often called CG these days, is the technology of creating images—that is, still images and videos—using a computer. Many people are probably familiar with it from movies and games.

To create images with CG, the usual method is to teach the computer the three-dimensional shape of the object you want to draw, the lighting conditions, and so on, and then calculate how that object would look from a virtual camera to generate the image. In this case, the challenge is how to teach the computer the three-dimensional shape of the object. There are three main methods.

Method A: Specify the vertex coordinates of the object one by one using a mouse or keyboard

Method B: Measure a real object and provide that data to the computer

Method C: Teach the computer the rules that determine why the object has that shape

Method A is time-consuming. Method B is often used for tasks like drawing a person's face. However, it requires a special device that uses a laser beam to measure the three-dimensional shape, and it can only be used if the person is available to be measured. I am particularly interested in Method C.

By teaching the computer physical laws, such as the gravity that acts on noodles as they fall from above, it is possible to create motion like that shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, by considering factors like collisions between the noodles and placing a large number of them in a container, an image like the one in Figure 2 can be created. Figure 3 shows snowfall and snow accumulation using a similar concept, and Figure 4 expresses the movement of ice in water and cloth. By slightly altering the physical laws, it is also possible to create movements that would be impossible in the real world.