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Free module

Computer graphics from scratch

Learn computer graphics hands on: pixels, lines, colour blending, matrix transforms, filled triangles, ray tracing and shading in Python.

6 lessons360 min lessonCore computer science

The lessons

Each lesson is free to read in full. Create a free account to run its commands in a live lab and to sit its quizzes and tasks.

  1. 1 · Container lab

    Pixels, coordinates and drawing a line

    I can place pixels on a grid with x and y coordinates and draw a straight line by stepping.

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  2. 2 · Container lab

    Colour, RGB and alpha blending

    I can mix colours as numbers and blend one colour over another with alpha transparency.

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  3. 3 · Container lab

    Move, scale and rotate with matrices

    I can move, scale and rotate a shape by multiplying its points by a matrix.

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  4. 4 · Container lab

    Filling a triangle with edge tests

    I can decide which pixels are inside a triangle with edge tests and find a point's barycentric weights.

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  5. 5 · Container lab

    Where a ray hits a sphere

    I can work out whether a ray hits a sphere and how far along the ray the nearest hit is.

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  6. 6 · Container lab

    Diffuse light and shading

    I can work out the diffuse brightness of a surface from its normal and the direction to the light.

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Worked in a real lab

Every lesson of this module is worked in a lab started for you alone. The labs it uses:

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