Lessons from scene graphs: using scene graphs to teach hierarchical modeling
The scene graph, as defined in VRML and Java3D, is a powerful tool for modeling a scene. The ideas contained in the scene graph are fundamental principles in modeling. They give beginning computer graphics students the tools to understand and apply the techniques of hierarchical modeling in scene design and can be directly applied to graphics programming in several graphics APIs, including OpenGL. This note outlines the approach to modeling with scene graphs and describes how students in a first computer graphics course can build their modeling designs with this approach.
scene graph hierarchical modeling viewing transformation modeling transformations