Graphics Software Standards in Computer Graphics
Last Updated :
15 Apr, 2025
Graphics software standards help to create and set a standard for the development of computer graphics, as there are mainly two categories or general classes of computer graphics: General programming packages and Special-purpose applications packages.
Introduction
Each of these classes has its software standard, so understanding these standards is important to get an overview of how standards are defined in computer graphics. by understanding the classes for computer graphics it becomes easier to understand the standards for them, lets look at two of the graphics packages in computer graphics.
Graphics Packages
Computer graphics are divided into two package classes and each of these two packages contains one graphics software standard which is used in the computer graphics to create working software for the graphics in computers:
General Graphics Programming Package
A general graphics programming package helps in providing a set of functions for the graphics that are used in high-level programming languages such as C or FORTRAN etc. real-life example of a general graphics programming package can be the GL which stands for the graphics library system, it's used in the silicon graphics.
Some of the basic functions for a general package can include the following criteria:
- generating picture components (such as polygons, circles, lines, and other figures)
- setting color values.
- setting intensity values.
- selecting views and managing transformations etc.
Application graphics packages
Application graphics packages are those packages that are designed for non-programmers to use, it'sthat are aredesigned so that the users can easily generate and display the graphics without having to worry about the operations and calculations of the graphics.
Interface in these types of graphics allows the users to easily communicate with the programs by having their own set of terms.
Some examples of the application packages are the painting programs used by various artists such as AutoCAD etc. along with some other business and medical art softwares.
Graphics Standards in Computer Graphics
The primary goal for the graphics software's standard is portability so whenever a package is designed with some standards for the computer graphics, then the software can be moved from hardware system one to hardware system two in an easy way and also be implemented more easily.
Without the standards for the programs, it becomes a complex and even impossible task to transfer the programs which are designed for a particular hardware to be moved to another system hardware. to solve this issue two standards were developed in computer graphics:
Understanding each of these graphics standards is important to know how the graphics standards work for computer graphics.
GKS (Graphical Kernel System)
Graphical Kernel System is recognized as one of the first graphics software standards by the ISO (International Standards Organization) which is the most important organization that manages the top-level two-dimensional two-dimensional three-dimensional standards related to computer study. the GKS standard was also recognized by the ANSI or American National Standards Institute later.
Graphical Kernel System was originally designed as a graphics package for the two-dimensional three-dimensional view but another extension of the GKS was later developed that supports the three dimensional view as well.
Graphical kernel system has a 2-dimensional view which is related to the six of the output functions used, they are as follows:
GKS (Graphical Kernel System)
PHIGS (Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics Standard)
PHIGS is the second standard developed in, computer graphics for the development of computer systems and software, it is known as an advancement to the previous standard because it supports more increased capabilities for the modeling of objects, better picture manipulation and other color specification guides.
PHIGS (Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics Standard)Just like the GKS, PHIGS also comes with its extension which is named PHIGS+ which was developed to provide the 3-dimensional surface shading capabilities which was not available in the PHIGS.
Conclusion
Both PHIGS and GKS are important computer graphics software standards, but the PHIGS offers more capabilities as compared to the GKS because the GKS standard was built before and the PHIGS standard was built as enhancement to the GKS standard.
Similar Reads
Vector Graphics in Computer Graphics
Vector graphics are a flexible and scalable way to create images using mathematical equations and geometric shapes, unlike pixel-based raster graphics. This method ensures that images maintain high quality and sharpness at any size, making them ideal for logos, illustrations, and other designs. In t
6 min read
Gouraud Shading in Computer Graphics
Gouraud shading is a method used in computer graphics to simulate the differing effect of light and color across the surface of an object. Intensity- interpolation is used to develop Gouraud shading. By intensity interpolation, the intensity of each and every pixel is calculated. Gouraud shading sha
3 min read
Radiosity Rendering in Computer Graphics
Rendering is the process of generating images which look realistic, these renderings can be based on either 2D rendering or 3D and computer graphics are used when we want to manipulate a set of images in the form of pixels to show to computer devices. Computer graphics is used in many digital types
8 min read
Projections in Computer Graphics
Representing an n-dimensional object into an n-1 dimension is known as projection. It is process of converting a 3D object into 2D object, we represent a 3D object on a 2D plane {(x,y,z)->(x,y)}. It is also defined as mapping or transforming of the object in projection plane or view plane. When g
5 min read
Display Processor in Computer Graphics
Display Processor is the interpreter or a hardware that converts display processor code into picture. The Display Processor converts the digital information from CPU to analog values. The main purpose of the Digital Processor is to free the CPU from most of the graphic chores. The Display Processor
1 min read
Parametric Modeling in Computer Graphics
In this article, we will cover all the necessary detail that is acquired to know about Parametric Modeling. Let's start with the simple definition, just go through all the points and headings. It will give you a brief intro about what is parametric modeling and why we use it. Parametric ModelingIt i
6 min read
Diffuse Reflection in Computer Graphics
Pre-requisites: Basic Illumination Models Diffuse reflection is a fundamental concept in computer graphics that has a wide range of applications. In this blog post, we will explore the basics of diffuse reflection and its implications for computer graphics. We will also provide some practical exampl
5 min read
Normal Mapping in Computer Graphics
Computer Graphics has improved a lot in recent years. Nowadays it is much more realistic whether it is animated 3D videos or games. However, rendering such graphics with great detail can be quite hardware-intensive. That's where normal mapping comes into the picture. It is a technique in computer gr
7 min read
Computer Graphics Curve in Computer Graphics
In computer graphics, we often need to draw different types of objects onto the screen. Objects are not flat all time and we need to draw curves many times to draw an object. Types of Curves:The curve is an infinitely large set of points. Each point has two neighbors except endpoints. Implicit curve
7 min read
Phong Shading Computer Graphics
Phong shading is a more accurate interpolation-based approach that can be used for rendering a polygon. It was developed by Phong Bui Tuong.It improves upon the Gourand Shading and provides a better approximation of the shading of any smooth surface. It interpolates the normal vector instead of the
1 min read