3d graphics crash course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAtmCYYKZA

Why do we rely on triangles instead of quads (squares) in 3D graphics?

Three points is the simplest and clearest way to define a space, “unambiguously defin[ing] a plane.” A shape with more lines could be drawn multiple ways given its coordinates, so triangles are much more straightforward.

What’s the difference between Painter’s Algorithm vs Z-Buffer?

The Painter’s Algorithm starts drawing the farthest away and works toward the front, like a painter does in order to handle occlusion, which is when multiple objects overlap. Z-Buffer, however, doesn’t start by sorting the polygons by distance. Instead, it follows a similar process to scanline rendering, except it adds a system which also gives each filled in pixel a number (which can be overridden by objects with smaller numbers).

What is the surface normal of the floor in Vector3 notation?

The surface normal of the floor points straight up, which I think would be (0, 1, 0).

What is the surface normal of your face?

The surface normal is the direction perpendicular to the polygon’s surface.

Pick a part of the video where you thought either "wow that makes so much sense" or "wtf is that, why would you do that?"

The part about scanline rendering was interesting, although it was a lot of information to take in! Once she finished going through the example, though, it made complete sense how it works. I also understand what anti-aliasing is and why we use it now, too.