Computer Graphics Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Computer Graphics distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/computer-graphics/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Rasterization

The process of converting geometric primitives (such as triangles defined by vertices) into discrete pixels on a screen. It is the dominant rendering technique in real-time graphics because of its speed and efficiency on modern GPU hardware.

Ray Tracing

A rendering technique that simulates the physical behavior of light by casting rays from the camera through each pixel and tracing their interactions with scene geometry. It naturally produces accurate reflections, refractions, and shadows.

Shading Models

Mathematical models that determine how the color and brightness of a surface point are computed based on material properties, light sources, and viewing direction. Common models include Phong, Blinn-Phong, and physically based shading (PBR).

Texture Mapping

The technique of applying a 2D image (texture) onto the surface of a 3D model to add visual detail without increasing geometric complexity. UV coordinates define how the 2D texture wraps onto the 3D surface.

Transformation Matrices

4x4 matrices used to represent and combine geometric operations such as translation, rotation, and scaling in 3D space. They form the mathematical backbone of the graphics pipeline, converting objects from model space through world space and camera space to screen space.

The Graphics Pipeline

The sequence of stages that transform 3D scene data into a 2D rendered image. The major stages include vertex processing, primitive assembly, rasterization, fragment processing, and framebuffer operations. Modern GPUs implement this pipeline in hardware.

Global Illumination

Rendering algorithms that simulate indirect lighting, where light bounces between surfaces before reaching the camera. Techniques include path tracing, photon mapping, and radiosity, all producing more realistic images than direct-lighting-only approaches.

Anti-Aliasing

Techniques that reduce visual artifacts (jagged edges or 'jaggies') caused by the discrete sampling of continuous geometry onto a pixel grid. Common methods include MSAA (multisample anti-aliasing), FXAA, and TAA (temporal anti-aliasing).

GPU Architecture and Shaders

Modern GPUs are massively parallel processors designed for graphics workloads. Programmable shaders (vertex, fragment, geometry, compute) allow developers to customize how geometry is transformed and how pixels are colored, enabling effects from simple lighting to complex simulations.

Physically Based Rendering (PBR)

A rendering approach that models the interaction of light with surfaces using physically accurate equations, primarily the rendering equation and microfacet BRDF models. PBR ensures materials look consistent across different lighting conditions.

Key Terms at a Glance

Albedo:The base color of a surface representing the proportion of light it reflects diffusely, independent of lighting conditions.

Alpha Blending:The process of combining a translucent foreground pixel with a background pixel based on the alpha (opacity) value to simulate transparency.

Ambient Occlusion:A shading technique that approximates how much ambient light reaches each point on a surface, darkening crevices and corners for added realism.

Anti-Aliasing:Techniques that smooth jagged edges caused by the discrete pixel grid, including MSAA, FXAA, and TAA.

BRDF:Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function: a mathematical function describing how light is reflected at an opaque surface for given incoming and outgoing directions.

Clipping:Removing or trimming primitives that lie outside the view frustum so they are not processed in later pipeline stages.

Compute Shader:A programmable GPU shader stage used for general-purpose parallel computation, not tied to a specific graphics pipeline stage.

Depth Buffer:A per-pixel buffer storing the distance from the camera to the nearest surface, used for hidden surface determination.

Diffuse Reflection:Light scattered equally in all directions from a surface, producing a matte appearance whose brightness depends on the angle between the surface normal and the light direction.

Fragment:A potential pixel produced during rasterization, containing interpolated attributes (color, depth, texture coordinates) that a fragment shader processes into a final pixel.

Framebuffer:GPU memory that holds the rendered image data, including color, depth, and stencil buffers.

Frustum:The truncated pyramid-shaped region of space visible to the camera, defined by near and far clipping planes and the field of view.

Global Illumination:Rendering algorithms that account for both direct and indirect light transport, producing effects like color bleeding and caustics.

Homogeneous Coordinates:A coordinate system using four components (x, y, z, w) that enables all affine and projective transformations to be represented as matrix multiplications.

Mesh:A collection of vertices, edges, and polygonal faces that defines the geometric shape of a 3D object.

Get study tips in your inbox

We'll send you evidence-based study strategies and new cheat sheets as they're published.

We'll notify you about updates. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.