Introduction

Introduction

My first exposure to 3D graphics was quite a while ago, when Linux was still relatively new. I was at a new job and wanted to learn something about 3D graphics. I decided to make a 3D version of the company logo. A friend suggested I use a program called PovRay. The company logo turned out great and I learned a lot from the project. I learned something about 3D art and also about messing with a company logo (they get kind of upset at that sort of thing). I used PovRay to dive deep into the world of 3D art. PovRay is a great first step into 3D art and will teach you a lot about the subject in a short amount of time. So what, exactly, is PovRay?

PovRay is a ray-trace engine. What is ray tracing? The concept is straightforward. Each pixel on the screen is calculated based on several factors, such as lighting, color, texture, and reflection. All of this and more is combined to determine how the pixel is displayed, or, more to the point, what color the pixel should be. Ultimately, this is what it all comes down to, a pixel on the screen is assigned a color, from black to white and everything in between. As it turns out, PovRay was the best thing to come my way for learning all about 3D graphics. Why? Because you get right down to the nitty gritty of 3D graphics.

This chapter is about 3D graphics under Linux. To explore this topic, first I'll introduce the various types of utilities for general graphics production. Then I'll talk about a challenge I gave myself to create a 2D logo and transform it into 3D space using PovRay. Finally, I'll review what other tools are available for 3D graphics production under Linux.