CGV Class 2 Unit 1

01-08-2018
GRAPHICS SYSTEM

Elements:

o Input devices

o Processor

o Memory

o Frame buffer

o Output devices
PIXELS – Picture Elements
• Each picture corresponds to a small
area/ location in the image.
 IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES

• FRAME BUFFER – Pixels are stored in a part of memory called frame buffer.

• RESOLUTION – Number of pixels in the frame buffer – determines the detail

you can see in the image.

• DEPTH/PRECISION – No. of bits used for each pixel =>No. of colors that can
be represented

• Examples

1 bit deep ->2 colors.

8 bit deep -> 256 colors

24 bit or more bits per pixel ->True color/ RGB color systems
PROCESSOR(CPU)

Normal processing + Graphical processing

Functionalities
• Takes specifications of the graphical primitives(lines, circles)
generated by the applications
• Assigns values to the pixels in the frame buffer.

Rasterization
The conversion of graphical entities to pixel colors and locations
in the frame buffer is called rasterization/scan conversion.

“GPUs came into existence”

Graphics Processing Unit

• Special-purpose processing units to carry out specific graphics

functions.

• Either on the mother board of the system or on a graphics card.

• The frame buffer is accessed through the graphics processing unit

and usually is on the same circuit board as the GPU.

• Can handle complex or even more complex tasks than CPUs

• Both special-purpose modules geared toward graphical

• Operations and a high degree of parallelism

• Recent GPUs contain over 100 processing

• Units, each of which is user programmable.