CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

3-D Graphics
No other area in computing reflects the amazing acceleration of technological
improvements more than 3-D graphics—in particular, 3-D gaming—which
attempts to create images with the same depth and texture as objects seen in
the real world. We are spectators to an amazing world where software and
hardware race to produce new levels of realism and complexity displayed on
the computer screen. Powered by the wallets of tens of millions of PC gamers
always demanding more and better, the video industry constantly introduces
new video cards and new software titles that make today’s games so
incredibly realistic and fun.
Although gaming certainly leads the PC industry in 3-D technologies,
many other PC applications—such as Computer Aided Design (CAD)
programs—quickly snatch up these technologies, making 3-D useful for
much more than games. In this section, we’ll add to the many bits and pieces
of 3-D video encountered over previous chapters in the book and build an
understanding of the function and configuration of 3-D graphics.
Before the early 1990s, PCs did not mix well with 3-D graphics. Certainly,
many 3-D applications existed, primarily 3-D design programs such as
AutoCAD and Intergraph, but these applications would often run only on
expensive, specialized hardware—not so great for casual users.
The big change took place in 1992 when a small company called id
Software created a new game called Wolfenstein 3D (see Figure 17-59). They
launched an entirely new genre of games, now called first-person shooters
(FPSs), in which the player looks out into a 3-D world, interacting with
walls, doors, and other items, and shoots whatever bad guys the game
provides.