Computer Graphics In Sports

BY: Yawar Hussain R/O: Reshipora, Budgam

Introduction:
The old Chinese saying, One picture is a worth of hundred words is the proof of the fact that what a person can convey with a picture or any graphical representation, cant convey with thousands of words. Computer Graphics has become a powerful tool for the rapid and economical production of pictures. It is natural to expect that graphical communication will often be more convenient when computers are used for the purpose. This is true because one must represent objects in 2D and 3D spaces. Computer graphics has revolutionised almost every computer based application in science and technology, be it sports, movies, business, art, education or any other aspect. The basic purpose of sports is to entertain the people and to earn money for the same .With the implementation of computers both these purposes have become inter-dependent. Computer influences sports in the compilation of statistics, in scouting and coaching, and with sports training besides providing the sophisticated visual environment. Such statistics help managers and coaches to take smarter decisions. Particularly, we use computer graphics to portray our ideas to our audience, and the better we can communicate the more information that they can retain. The easier we can make our information the larger audience we can ultimately attract, which obviously will earn us more money. Applications of computers in sport (to be understood in its broadest sense) have been reported since the mid 1960s. Statistical computations, numerical calculations in biomechanical investigations and sport documentation tasks were carried out. Computer Science in Sports comprises the following main areas of research: Multimedia and presentation Modelling and simulation Biomechanics and sports technology Data bases and expert systems Information and communication technologies

These areas of research are supposed to have potential to change the way coaches and athletes approach training and performance.

Computer Graphics, besides, providing much benefits in the practical sports games has countless benefits in the reel world sports too. We can use computer graphics for designing or developing interesting games which can serve as the source of recreation. A sports game is a video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport (such as the Madden NFL series), while others emphasize strategy and organization (such as Championship Manager and Out of the Park Baseball). Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out! , satirize the sport for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes. A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions such as the processing power of central or graphics processing units. Some of these techniques include:

Vector graphics
Vector graphics refers to the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, and curves (i.e. shapes based on mathematical equations) instead of resolution-dependent bitmap graphics to represent images in computer graphics. In video games this type of projection is somewhat rare, but has become more common in recent years in browser-based gaming with the advent of flash, since Flash supports vector graphics natively. An earlier example for the personal computer is Starglider (1986) Vector game can also refer to a video game that uses a vector graphics display capable of projecting images using an electron beam to draw images instead of with pixels, much like a laser show. Many early arcade games used such displays, as they were capable of displaying more detailed images than raster displays on the hardware available at that time. Many vector-based arcade games used full-colour overlays to complement the otherwise monochrome vector images. Other uses of these overlays were very detailed drawings of the static gaming environment, while the moving objects were drawn by the vector beam. The vectrex home console also used a vector display. After 1985, vector graphics were substantially declining due to improvements to sprite technology, rasterized 3D Filled Polygon Graphics were returning to the arcades and were so popular in the late 80s that vector graphics can no longer compete.

2D
Games utilizing parallel projection typically make use of two-dimensional bitmap graphics as opposed to 3D-rendered triangle-based geometry, allowing developers to create large, complex game worlds efficiently and with relatively few art assets by dividing the art into sprites and reusing them repeatedly (though some games use a mix of different techniques).

Top-down perspective

An example of a typical top-down, third-person view game Top-down perspective, also sometimes referred to as bird's-eye view, Over world, overhead view or helicopter view, when used in video games refers to a camera angle that shows the player and the area around them from above. While not exclusive to video games that utilise parallel projection, it was at one time common in 2D role playing video games, war games and construction and management simulation games. This all was possible with the invention of advanced technology of computer graphics.

Side-scrolling game

Awesomenauts is a side scrolling MOBA game. A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the viewpoint is taken from the side, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. Games of this type make use of scrolling computer display technology, and sometimes parallax scrolling to suggest added depth. In many games the screen follows the player character such that the player character is always positioned near the centre of the screen. In other games the position of the screen will change according to the player character's movement, such that the player character is off-centre and more space is shown in front of the character than behind. Sometimes, the screen will scroll not only forward in the speed and direction of the player character's movement, but also backwards to previously visited parts of a stage. In other games or

stages, the screen will only scroll forwards, not backwards, so that once a stage has been passed it can no longer be visited.

2.5D, 3/4 perspective, and pseudo-3D

2.5D ("two-and-a-half-dimensional"), 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are informal terms used to describe graphical projections and techniques that try to "fake" threedimensionality, typically by using some form of parallel projection, wherein the point of view is from a fixed perspective, but also reveals multiple facets of an object. Examples of pseudo-3D techniques include isometric/axonometric projection and sky domes. In addition, 3D graphical techniques such as bump mapping and parallax mapping are often used to extend the illusion of three-dimensionality without substantially increasing the resulting computational overhead introduced by increasing the polygon count. The terms sometimes possess a second meaning, wherein the game play in an otherwise 3D game is forcibly restricted to a two-dimensional plane. In addition to axonometric projection, games such as The Sims and Final Fantasy Tactics also make use of a combination of pre-drawn 2D sprites and real-time polygonal graphics instead of relying entirely on 2D sprites as is the norm.

3D
With the advent of 3D accelerated graphics, video games could expand beyond the typically sprite-based 2D graphics of older graphics technologies to describe a view frequently more true to reality and lifelike than their predecessors. Perspective projection has also been used in some earlier titles to present a 3D view from a fixed (and thus somewhat less hardwareintensive) perspective with a limited ability to move.

Fixed 3D
Fixed 3D refers to a three-dimensional representation of the game world where foreground objects (i.e. game characters) are typically rendered in real time against a static background. The principal advantage of this technique is its ability to display a high level of detail on minimal hardware. The main disadvantage is that the player's frame of reference remains fixed at all times, preventing players from examining or moving about the environment from multiple viewpoints. Backgrounds in fixed 3D games tend to bepre-rendered two-dimensional images, but are sometimes rendered in real time (e.g. Blade runner). The developers of SimCity4 took advantage of fixed perspective by not texturing the reverse sides of objects (and thereby speeding up rendering) which players could not see anyway. Fixed 3D is also sometimes used to "fake" areas which are inaccessible to players.

First-person perspective

First-person perspective First person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives. Games with a first-person perspective are usually avatar-based, wherein the game displays what the player's avatar would see with the avatar's own eyes. Thus, players typically cannot see the avatar's body, though they may be able to see the avatar's weapons or hands. This viewpoint is also frequently used to represent the perspective of a driver within a vehicle, as in flight and racing simulators; and it is common to make use of positional audio, where the volume of ambient sounds varies depending on their position with respect to the player's avatar. Games with a first-person perspective do not require sophisticated animations for the player's avatar, and do not need to implement a manual or automated camera-control scheme as in third-person perspective. A first person perspective allows for easier aiming, since there is no representation of the avatar to block the player's view. However, the absence of an avatar can make it difficult to master the timing and distances required to jump between platforms, and may cause motion sickness in some players. Players have come to expect first-person games to accurately scale objects to appropriate sizes. However, key objects such as dropped items or levers may be exaggerated in order to improve their visibility.

Third-person perspective
Third person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from a view that is some distance away (usually behind and slightly above) from the player's character. This viewpoint allows players to see a more strongly characterized avatar, and is most common in action and action-adventure games. This viewpoint poses some difficulties; however, in that when the player turns or stands with his back to a wall, the camera may jerk or end up in awkward positions. Developers have tried to alleviate this issue by implementing intelligent camera systems, or by giving the player control over the camera. There are three primary types of

third-person camera systems: "fixed camera systems" in which the camera positions are set during the game creation; "tracking camera systems" in which the camera simply follows the player's character; and "interactive camera systems" that are under the player's control.

Conclusion
We can create our own creation by using CG (computer graphics).With computer graphics it is easy to understand what the creator wants to say? As for as computer graphics in sports is concerned I have learnt a lot of things. For example IST & Ten is the name for a computer system that generates and displays one version of the yellow first down line that a TV viewer sees during a live broadcast (Live Video Insertion System). The purpose of the line is mainly to make it easier for television viewers to follow play on the field thereby making it virtually possible for viewer to be in a game. The system makes use of a combination of motion sensors mounted on the broadcast cameras to record what they are viewing, and/or the use of match moving computer graphics technology. But the main disadvantage in computer graphics is that it is not easy to create effective CG (computer graphics) as it requires a lot of resources, time and hard work thereby making it very costly.

References
[1] Computers In Sports by P Dabnichki University of London, and Arnold Baca University of Vienna, Austria, [2]Computer Graphics and Animations available at;
http://www.bergen.org/AAST/ComputerAnimation

[3]Wikipedia, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/video_game_graphics