Graphics Pipeline

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The graphics pipeline is a series of stages that a graphics card uses to render images. It starts from the model to final output on the screen.

3D modeling: The process of creating a 3D object or surface using specialized software.
Rasterization: The process of converting vector graphics into raster images or bitmaps.
Shading: The process of determining the color of each pixel in the final rendered image.
Lighting: The process of simulating the interaction of light with objects in the scene.
Texturing: The process of mapping 2D images onto the surfaces of 3D objects.
Rendering: The final step in the graphics pipeline, where the scene is transformed from 3D objects to 2D images.
Vertex shaders: A type of shader that operates on individual vertices in the scene.
Pixel shaders: A type of shader that operates on individual pixels in the scene.
Geometry shaders: A type of shader that can modify the geometry of the scene.
Tessellation: A technique for dynamically subdividing and adding detail to 3D objects.
Anti-aliasing: A method of smoothing out jagged edges in the final rendered image.
Ray tracing: A technique for simulating the paths of light rays through a scene.
Acceleration structures: Data structures used to optimize ray tracing and other computationally expensive tasks.
GPU architecture: The hardware architecture of graphics processing units, including CPU/GPU interactions, memory hierarchies, and performance bottlenecks.
Fixed Function Pipeline: This graphics pipeline is fixed in its operation and is dependent on the graphics hardware installed in the system. It has a series of fixed stages such as vertex transformation, rasterization, and fragment processing to render images.
Programmable Pipeline: This pipeline is more flexible compared to the fixed function pipeline, as it allows users to program custom stages of the graphics pipeline using shading languages like GLSL and HLSL.
Tiled Pipeline: This graphics pipeline involves rendering images in multiple tiles, with each tile being processed individually to improve resource utilization.
Deferred Rendering Pipeline: This graphics pipeline is designed for complicated scenes that involve a large number of light sources, where the renderer needs to process light sources and geometry separately to provide accurate results.
Forward Rendering Pipeline: This pipeline works in the opposite way of Deferred Rendering Pipeline, by processing geometry first and then light sources.
Hybrid Rendering Pipeline: This pipeline combines the benefits of Deferred and Forward Rendering Pipeline by generating a secondary light map, which is used for Deferred Rendering while using Forward Rendering Pipeline for the primary pass.
Ray Tracing Pipeline: This graphics pipeline is specifically used for real-time ray tracing, allowing images to be rendered with more accurate lighting and reflections.
Path Tracing Pipeline: This graphics pipeline is designed to produce physically accurate images by simulating the behavior of light rays in a virtual environment.
Radiosity Pipeline: This pipeline calculates the effect of indirect illumination in a scene, which occurs when light bounces off surfaces and onto other surfaces.
Volume Rendering Pipeline: This pipeline is specifically designed for rendering three-dimensional data, such as medical scans or scientific simulations, where the visualization of the volume of data is important.
Non-Photorealistic Rendering Pipeline: This pipeline is used to create stylized or cartoon-like images using unique rendering and shading techniques.
Procedural Generation Pipeline: This pipeline is used to generate content in real-time, such as landscapes or textures, using algorithms and mathematical models.
VR Graphics Pipeline: This pipeline is designed to render graphics specifically for virtual reality (VR), where specialized techniques such as Foveated rendering are used to improve performance and reduce motion sickness.
Mobile Graphics Pipeline: This graphics pipeline is optimized for mobile devices, using techniques such as multi-threading and screen-space rendering to provide efficient and high-performance rendering.
"The computer graphics pipeline outlines the necessary procedures for transforming a 3D scene into a 2D representation on a screen."
"Once a 3D model is generated, the graphics pipeline becomes instrumental in converting the model into a visually perceivable format on the computer display."
"Due to the dependence on specific software, hardware configurations, and desired display attributes, a universally applicable graphics pipeline does not exist."
"These APIs provide an abstraction layer over the underlying hardware, relieving programmers from the need to write code explicitly targeting various graphics hardware accelerators like AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and others."
"The model of the graphics pipeline is usually used in real-time rendering."
"Often, most of the pipeline steps are implemented in hardware."
"The term 'pipeline' is used in a similar sense for the pipeline in processors: the individual steps of the pipeline run in parallel as long as any given step has what it needs."
"Graphics application programming interfaces (APIs), such as Direct3D and OpenGL, were developed to standardize common procedures and oversee the graphics pipeline of a given hardware accelerator."
"The computer graphics pipeline outlines the necessary procedures for transforming a 3D scene into a 2D representation on a screen."
"A universally applicable graphics pipeline does not exist due to the dependence on specific software, hardware configurations, and desired display attributes."
"These APIs provide an abstraction layer over the underlying hardware, relieving programmers from the need to write code explicitly targeting various graphics hardware accelerators."
"Graphics application programming interfaces (APIs) relieve programmers from the need to write code explicitly targeting various graphics hardware accelerators like AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and others."
"The model of the graphics pipeline is usually used in real-time rendering."
"Often, most of the pipeline steps are implemented in hardware, which allows for special optimizations."
"The individual steps of the pipeline run in parallel as long as any given step has what it needs."
"These APIs provide an abstraction layer over the underlying hardware."
"Due to the dependence on specific software, hardware configurations, and desired display attributes, a universally applicable graphics pipeline does not exist."
"Graphics application programming interfaces (APIs), such as Direct3D and OpenGL, were developed to standardize common procedures and oversee the graphics pipeline of a given hardware accelerator."
"The primary goal of the graphics pipeline is to transform a 3D scene into a visually perceivable format on the computer display."
"Graphics application programming interfaces (APIs) relieve programmers from the need to write code explicitly targeting various graphics hardware accelerators like AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and others."