CAP 202 - Computer Animation II

Review for Second Test

The following questions are provided to help you study for the second test. Do not expect to see these exact questions on the test.

1. How does the text define a shader?
   
   
2. What is the purpose of a diffuse map?
   
   
3. What is the purpose of a specular map?
   
   
4. What is the purpose of a normal map? What is another name for a normal map?
   
   
5. The text described three ways a blend shader might work. Name the three methods and describe the effect that would be produced by each.
   
   
6. What is the significance of the colors black and white as used in an additive blend?
   
   
7. What is the significance of the colors black and white as used in a subtractive blend?
   
   
8. How does a player's desire to explore the game environment change your decisions about the level of detail needed in parts of a scene?
   
   
9. What does it mean to make a marquee selection in Photoshop?
   
   
10. Describe the purpose of a displacement map. How is it different from a normal map?
    
    
11. What should be true about the colors in a displacement map if you want to avoid abrupt changes in its resulting texture?
    
    
12. In addition to the color problem above, what other problem can a displacement map have that would cause abrupt jumps in altitude? What could be a problem with the model mesh that might cause the same result?
    
    
13. What is the purpose of a soft selection tool in either a terrain editor or a modeling program?
    
    
14. What measure of game performance does chapter 1 propose?
    
    
15. What would be the use of an erosion tool in a terrain editor?
    
    
16. Why do most outdoor scenes need to have a variety of plants and trees?
    
    
17. Deep Paint was recommended by the author for its use of brushes. What does this use of the word brushes mean?
    
    
18. Why does an artist want to know the geologic process that created the rocks to be placed in a scene? (Hint: think of Andy describing the piece of obsidian in The Shawshank Redemption. Why does that rock have "no earthly business in a Maine hay field"?)
    
    
19. According to the text, what is in a sky box that is not in a sky dome? Why is a sky box more dynamic?
    
    
20. What trick did we encounter in class to apply a sky texture to the inside of a hemisphere?
    
    
21. In the discussion of normal maps, what does the text mean by a normal?
    
    
22. Describe how vertex lighting produces the light in a scene.
    
    
23. Describe how per-pixel lighting produces the light in a scene.
    
    
24. In the discussion of vertex lighting, what two angles must be known to calculate the brightness of the light on a normal?