CS 686: Programming SVGA Graphics Devices (Fall 2005)

Lecture: Tue-Thu 7:30pm-9:15pm (Room HRN-235)

Instructor: Allan Cruse
cruse@usfca.edu
Phone: (415) 422-6562
Office: 212 Harney Science Center
Office Hours: (see my homepage)

"Graphics programming is among the more challenging things you can do
with a computer -- it requires a substantial degree of insight into how
the hardware and formats involved work..."
_{-- Steve Rimmer, "Super VGA Graphics Programming Secrets,"
Windcrest/McGraw-Hill (1993), p. 23.}

This course explores fundamental principles of raster graphics
programming from a hardware and systems software perspective,
and utilizes the advanced learning facilities of the Michael D. Kudlick
interactive computer classroom which affords convenient opportunities
for combining formal instruction with "hands-on" programming exercises.
Topics include:
- functional components of the standard SuperVGA graphics adapter
- relationship of video memory to screen resolution and color depth
- standard and non-standard display-modes for text and graphics
- basic computer algorithms for line-drawing and region-filling
- construction of wireframe models and principles of animation
- fundamentals of lighting, coloring, and perspective drawing
- user-interface issues in window systems and event-driven programs
- mathematics of ray-tracing used to create photorealistic images
- exercises in font, icon, and cursor designs and interactive controls
- exercises with sound-effects, mouse-control and graphic laserprinting
Familiarity with the C/C++ programming language and UNIX/Linux
operating system is assumed, plus acquaintance with the Intel
Pentium processor's registers, instruction-set, and assembly
language. Students also should have completed introductory
coursework in calculus, linear algebra, and data structures.
This course is open to USF Graduate Students (and to qualified
undergraduates with instructor permission)

Learning Outcomes:

You will become acquainted with the components of a standard PC display.
You will acquire experience using an assortment of video display modes.
You will be able to apply standard algorithms from the realm of graphics.
You will be able to evaluate suitability of graphics hardware for a task.
You will know how illusions of animation and photorealism are achieved.
You will know how graphics issues have influenced the computer industry.
You will lay a foundation for pursuing some additional career options.

Course Textbook:

The PC Graphics Handbook

Classroom Hardware:

Graphics Processor is the ATI Radeon X300 manufactured by ATI Technologies, Inc.
Student Workstation is DELL OptiPlex GX280 w/Intel Pentium 4 processor (3.2GHZ)

Resources

Industry document: Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)
Video BIOS Extension: Core Functions Standard 3.0 vbe3.pdf (1998)
Industry document: VGA BIOS OEM Reference Guide (.pdf format)
Home page for the Linux SuperVGA Graphics Library project
Online article: DVI Tutorial explaining Digital Visual Interface cable-connectors (by Pacific Custom Cable, Inc.)
A short history of video games: From 'pong' to 'pac-man' (by William Hunter)
Linux Journal article: Mouse Programming with libgpm by Pradeep Padala
Game Programmer article: Tweaked VGA Modes by Bob Pendleton
Online chapters: Michael Abrash's Graphics Programming Black Book (.pdf format)
Online chapters: Linux Device Drivers (Third Edition) by Corbet et al (.pdf format)
Online reference: Ralph Brown's Interrupt List documents standard PC firmware services
Online reference: WAVE Audio File-Format history and links to specification details
Online tutorial: with link to HP's PCL 5 Printer Language Technical Reference Manual by Morovia Fontware, Inc

Systems Software

Utility program: mmake.cpp (a tool for compiling Linux 2.6 kernel modules)
Device driver: dosio.c needed for accessing I/O ports and ROM-BIOS routines
Device driver: vram.c needed for accessing our SVGA graphics display memory
Utility program: fileview.cpp (a navigation tool for viewing the contents of files)
Utility program: ljpages.cpp (a tool that submits your program source to a laser printer) <-- revised on 1/5/2006
Utility program: dump.cpp (a tool that displays the contents of any file in hex and ascii)
Utility program: iopl3.cpp (a tool by Alex Fedosov that lets user programs do direct I/O)
Utility program: waveinfo.cpp (a tool for viewing audio playback parameters in a .wav file)
Diagnostic module: mymtrr.c for viewing the MTRRs (Memory Type and Range Registers)

Readings

Week 1: Chapter 1 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 2: Chapter 7 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 3: Chapter 13 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 4: Chapter 14 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 5: Chapter 18 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 6: No new assignment. Review for Midterm Exam.
Week 7: Chapter 10 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 8: Chapter 2 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 9: Chapter 5 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 10: Chapter 6 in "PC Graphics Handbook" text
Week 11: No new assignment. Review for Midterm Exam.
Weeks 12-14: No new assignment. Complete final project.

Handouts

0206-130-01: Course syllabus (PDF)
lesson1.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Header files: pcx.h and bmp.h for programming with .pcx and .bmp graphic file formats
Support files: int86.h and int86.cpp (we will 'link' these with our Linux graphics programs)
Demo program: pcxphoto.cpp for inclass exercise on color-to-grayscale image-conversion
Image file: issxmas.pcx for our use during class with the 'pcxphoto.cpp' demo-program
Image file: fwright.bmp for your use outside class with the assigned programming project #1
lesson2.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: findsvga.cpp executes real-mode PCI Bios routines in virtual-8086 mode
Utility program: vesainfo.cpp shows which VESA display modes are supported on your system
Demo program: pcx8bpp.cpp illustrates reprogramming of the Color Lookup-Table registers
Exercise solution: dactable.cpp shows how you can read and display the 256 DAC Color registers
lesson3.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Handy script: initgraf (It will 'streamline' your task of loading of our two main device-driver modules)
Demo programs: cgademo.cpp and egademo.cpp showing how early IBM-PC graphics looked
Another demo: vgademo.cpp to see how IBM's graphics programming looked using 256-colors
lesson4.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Utility program: romfonts.cpp (a tool for locating the VGA's built-in character-glyph tables)
Demo program: drawtext.cpp shows how you can draw text characters in a "planar" graphics mode
Demo program: brickpat.cpp shows how you can 'tile' a screen region using an 8x8 pattern-glyph
Demo program: setreset.cpp varies the Set/Reset and Enable Set/Reset values in Write Mode 0
lesson5.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: newzero.cpp shows how to modify a glyph in the VGA's character generator ram
Demo program: backward.cpp this program modifies an entire glyph-table in VGA character ram
Demo program: bluetext.cpp illustrates the effect of modifying all character-cell attribute-bytes
Demo program: twofonts.cpp shows how VGA character-generator can use two simultaneous fonts
lesson6.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: animate1.cpp introduces a hardware mechanism for smooth SVGA graphics animation
Demo program: instatus.cpp produces a visualization based on sampling VGA Input Status Register #1
Demo program: flipflop.cpp a visual simulation of 'Square-Wave' tone-generation by a Timer-Counter
Demo program: makewave.cpp implements the Timer-Counter model to generate an actual audio file
Demo program: pcmplay.cpp showing how a Linux application can play back a Waveform Audio File
Demo program: 12throot.cpp displays the frequencies of all the notes on an 88-key American piano
lesson7.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: randpats.cpp uses the 'rand()' function to generate some bitmap-patterns to display
Demo program: mknoises.cpp uses 'rand()' to create a stereophonic 'white noise' demomonstration
lesson8.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: rawtty.cpp shows how to enable 'noncanonical' terminal control (called "raw" mode)
Demo program: myitimer.cpp shows how to set up an interval timer so periodic signals are generated
Demo program: animate2.cpp illustrating the use of asychronous 'signals' in a Linux game animation
Demo program: sinewave.cpp shows how to program the playing of a pure sine wave tone using OSS
Demo program: pcspinet.cpp draws a 64-key spinet piano keyboard (as a starting point for Project 2)
lesson9.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: trymouse.cpp showing use in text-mode of the 'libgpm' package in a short C++ example
Demo program: gpmslide.cpp illustrating use of the 'libgpm' package within a simple graphics example
Demo program: seemouse.cpp creates a mouse-cursor and responds visibly to various mouse 'events'
Demo program: persists.cpp shows how to play a tone continously, but cease immediately if signaled <-- revised on 9/24/2005
lesson10.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: michener.cpp performs a fast circle-fill operation based on the Michener Algorithm
Demo program: bouncing.cpp demonstrates undesirable 'image tearing' effects in a graphics animation
Test program: shrinker.cpp (this program is for your use with Question V during Midterm Exam I)
A 'truecolor' image-set (1024x768): captured.img (it can be redisplayed with the 'shrinker.cpp' program)
Exam solution: shrunken.cpp (showing one possible solution to Question V on Midterm Exam I)
lesson11.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: bresdemo.cpp illustrates Breshenham's iterative all-integer line-drawing algorithm
Demo program: polyfill.cpp adapts Breshenham's line-drawing algorithm to do fast polygon color-filling
lesson12.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: drawline.cpp shows line-drawing by the ATI Radeon 2D graphics accelerator engine
lesson13.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: wfmodel1.cpp this is an initial 'prototype' for a wireframe model 3D animation
Wireframe data-file: cube.dat this is needed by our 'wfmodel1.cpp' animation prototype demo
Demo program: vramscan.cpp this desktop application lets you see the offscreen video memory
Demo program: 1second.cpp captures brief input from a microphone and saves it as a .wav file
lesson14.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: waveview.cpp a graphical tool for viewing the pulse-code data in certain .wav files
lesson15.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Programming utility: newgprog.cpp for quickly creating the 'boilerplate' code for a new graphics demo
lesson16.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: wfmodel2.cpp revises 'wfmodel1.cpp' to incorporate the 'page-flipping' technique
Waveform data-files: student voices (these are for your use while working on programming Project #3)
Demo program: horizpan.cpp shows how to use Radeon registers to implement horizontal panning
Test program: myviewer.cpp (this program is for your use with Question V during Midterm Exam II)
A 'truecolor' image-set (1024x768): captured.img (it can be redisplayed with the 'myviewer.cpp' program)
Exam solution: hiviewer.cpp (showing one possible solution to Question V on Midterm Exam II)
lesson17.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: filldemo.cpp shows 3D-model animation (hidden lines removed); uses 'bitblit' technique
Data-file: plato.dat describes a three-dimensional 'platonic' solid (it's used by our 'filldemo' anmation)
More data-files: redbarn.dat, plane.dat, corner1.dat, corner2.dat for use with our 'filldemo' application
lesson18.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: tweening.cpp employs "linear interpolation" to do simple polygon animations
Demo program: bezier.cpp (deCasteljau's curve-drawing algorithm, implemented by Kai Long)
Demo program: ellipse.cpp prototype for an animation that demonstrates an ellipse's 'reflection property'
lesson19.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: flood.cpp demonstrates the use of a recursive 'flood-fill' graphics algorithm
lesson20.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: wavprint.cpp submits a waveform audio file to the laserprinter for raster graphics output
lesson21.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: mymode.cpp (alters some CRTC registers to achieve a nonstandard display mode)
Demo program: quikcopy.cpp showing how a C++ program calls an external assembly language function
External function: copypage.s written in assembly language for the Pentium and callable from C++
Internal function: repmovsl.cpp written within a C++ program using 'inline' assembly language
lesson22.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
lesson23.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Test program: dacproto.cpp for showing the effect of reprogramming the DAC color-table registers
Demo program: globe.cpp to illustrate the application of some basic principles of 'raytracing'
lesson24.ppt (Powerpoint Slides)
Demo program: unitcube.cpp illustrates the basic steps for positioning and scaling of a simple object <-- revised on 12/24/2005
Demo program: trytorus.cpp shows how to construct and display a wireframe model for a ring torus
Demo program: opaqueit.cpp shows how to obscure all 'hidden faces' of our torus's polygonal mesh
Demo program: plato.cpp (this program uses the plato.dat data-set to draw a raytraced dodecahedron)
Demo program: newglobe.cpp (this is an improved version of our earlier 'globe.cpp' demo-program)
Demo program: sinedemo.cpp shows sucessive approximations to the sine function by Taylor polynomials

Announcements

Project 1 Due 7pm Thursday, September 8
Midterm Exam 1: Thursday, September 29
Project 2 Due 7pm Thursday, October 13
Midterm Exam 2: Thursday, November 3
Project 3 Due 7pm Thursday, November 17
FINAL EXAM: Project 4 substituted. Due NOON Tuesday, December 13

Last updated on 06/02/2007