Colin Fralick

Title: Using 3-D Modeling to Construct Computer Game Graphics

Objective:

The objective of this project is to design and implement a system to construct 
3-D figures for use in a computer game. These figures must be able to both act 
as objects in space and as a way to render the game's graphics.

Justification:

Many real-time computer games now are based on polygons, which are both 
effective models of spatial relations and relatively easy to convert to a 
2-dimensional image with correct perspective, relative size, etc. As graphics 
are becoming an increasingly important part of computer games, more efficient 
ways of dealing with complex polygons must be developed to maximize both of 
these advantages while minimizing difficulties such as object intersections 
and restrained motion.

Description:

To accomplish this objective, I plan to research methods of constructing and 
manipulating 3-dimensional polygons. I will then analyze and compare their 
strengths and weaknesses and attempt to combine the strengths of several of 
them to create an easier and more efficient method, which I will use to produce
the game's graphics.

Limitations:

This project is constrained mainly by time. The first major limitation of this 
project is that I must first learn a 3-D modeling language, which I have 
decided to be OpenGL. This will take a reasonable amount of time, but I intend 
to begin learning before senior year. The second limitation is the time needed 
to design the system to function in both ways necessary at maximum speed. Since
this is the first time I have worked with 3-D modeling, I will most likely have
to progress largely by trial and error, which means I may have to backtrack 
multiple times.