WEEK TOPIC: COMPUTER GRAPHICS – 2D & 3D SHAPES

What is Computer Graphics?

Images that are generated by a computer are called computer

graphics. Examples are photographs, drawings, line art, mathematical
graphs, line graphs, charts, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols,
geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings, or other images.
Graphics often combine text, illustration, and color.

Now let’s talks about 2D & 3D Shapes

What is 2D Shapes?

2D Shapes

A 2D shape is a flat shape that has only two dimensions – length and
width, with no thickness or depth, that is the reason why it is called a
two-dimensional shape. For example, a sheet of paper is two-
dimensional in shape. It consists of a length and a width but does not
have any depth or height. Some common 2D shapes are squares,
rectangles, triangles, circles, and hexagons. In comparison to these, a
3D (three-dimensional) shape has three dimensions – length, width, and
height. For example, a dice is three-dimensional because it consists of
a length, a width, and a height. Some common 3D shapes are cuboids,
cones, pyramids, and cylinders. Let us learn more about two-dimensional
shapes in this note.

In geometry, 2D shapes can be defined as plane figures that are

completely flat and have only two dimensions – length and width. They
do not have any thickness and can be measured only by the two
dimensions.
2D Shapes Definition

A polygon is a 2-dimensional shape made up of straight-line segments

which are connected with each other, thus giving it a closed shape. A
circle, square, rectangle, and triangle are some examples of two-
dimensional shapes and these shapes can be drawn on paper. All the 2-
dimensional shapes have sides, vertices (corners), and interior angles,
except for the circle, which is a curved figure. 2D shapes with at least
three straight sides are called polygons and these include triangles,
squares, and quadrilaterals. The figure given below shows the 2D
shapes that we commonly come across.

2D Shapes - circle, triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon

Types of 2D Shapes - Regular and Irregular 2D Shapes

A 2D shape can be classified as regular or irregular based on the

length and the interior angles:

A 2-dimensional shape (2D shape) is said to be regular if all its sides

are equal in length and all its interior angles measure the same.

A two-dimensional shape (2D shape) is irregular if all the sides are of

unequal length and all its angles are of unequal measures.
Observe the following figure which shows the difference between
regular and irregular 2D shapes.

Regular and Irregular 2D Shapes

Difference Between 2D and 3D Shapes

The following table shows a comparison between 2D and 3D shapes.

2D Shapes 3D Shapes

Full-Form 2D = Two-Dimensional 3D = Three-Dimensional

Definition 2D shapes are flat and have only two A 3D shape has 3 dimensions of
dimensions of length and width with no length, width, and height.
thickness or depth.

Dimensions Length and width only Length, width, and height

Mathematical x-axis and y-axis x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis

axes

Examples Rectangle, square, circle, triangle, etc. Cylinder, sphere, cube, prism, et

Properties of 2D Shapes
2-D shapes are flat and can be drawn on a sheet of paper. There are
different types of regular and irregular 2D shapes like a circle,
triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, and hexagon. Let us learn about a
few of them along with their properties.

3D Shapes
3D shapes are solids that consist of 3 dimensions - length, breadth
(width), and height. 3D in the word 3D shapes means three-dimensional.
Every 3D geometric shape occupies some space based on its dimensions
and we can see many 3D shapes all around us in our day-to-day life.
Some examples of 3D shapes are cube, cuboid, cone, and cylinder.

What are 3D Shapes?

3D shapes are solid shapes or objects that have three dimensions

(which are length, width, and height), as opposed to two-dimensional
objects which have only a length and a width. Other important terms
associated with 3D geometric shapes are faces, edges, and vertices.
They have depth and so they occupy some volume. Some 3D shapes
have their bases or cross-sections as 2D shapes. For example, a cube
has all its faces in the shape of a square. Let us now learn about each
3-dimensional shape (3D shape) in detail. 3D shapes are classified into
several categories. Some of them have curved surfaces; some are in
the shape of pyramids or prisms.

Real-Life Examples of 3D Geometric Shapes

In mathematics, we study 3-dimensional objects in the concept of

solids and try to apply them in real life. Some real-life examples of 3D
shapes are shown below which are a soccer ball, a cube, a bucket, and a
book.
Real Life Examples of 3D Shapes - ball, cube, bucket, book

Types of 3D Shapes

There are many 3 dimensional shapes (3D shapes) that have different
bases, volumes, and surface areas. Let us discuss each one of them.

Sphere

A sphere is round in shape. It is a 3D geometric shape that has all the

points on its surface that are equidistant from its center. Our planet
Earth resembles a sphere, but it is not a sphere. The shape of our
planet is a spheroid. A spheroid resembles a sphere but the radius of a
spheroid from the center to the surface is not the same at all points.
Some important characteristics of a sphere are as follows.

It is shaped like a ball and is perfectly symmetrical.

It has a radius, diameter, circumference, volume, and surface area.

Every point on the sphere is at an equal distance from the center.

It has one face, no edges, and no vertices.

It is not a polyhedron since it does not have flat faces.

Sphere - 3D shape

Cube and Cuboid

Cube and cuboid are three-dimensional shapes (3D shapes) that have
the same number of faces, vertices, and edges. The main difference
between a cube and a cuboid is that in a cube, all its six faces are
squares and, in a cuboid, all its six faces are rectangles. A cube and a
cuboid occupy different volumes and have different surface areas. The
length, width, and height of a cube are the same, while for a cuboid,
length, height, and width are different.

Cylinder
A cylinder is a 3D shape that has two circular faces, one at the top and
one at the bottom, and one curved surface. A cylinder has a height and
a radius. The height of a cylinder is the perpendicular distance
between the top and bottom faces. Some important features of a
cylinder are listed below.

It has one curved face.

The shape stays the same from the base to the top.

It is a three-dimensional object with two identical ends that are either

circular or oval.

A cylinder in which both the circular bases lie on the same line is called
a right cylinder. A cylinder in which one base is placed away from
another is called an oblique cylinder.

Cylinder - a 3d geometric shape

Cone

A cone is another three-dimensional shape (3D shape) that has a flat

base (which is of circular shape) and a pointed tip at the top. The
pointed end at the top of the cone is called 'Apex'. A cone also has a
curved surface. Similar to a cylinder, a cone can also be classified as a
right circular cone and an oblique cone.

A cone has a circular or oval base with an apex (vertex).

A cone is a rotated triangle.

Based on how the apex is aligned to the center of the base, a right
cone or an oblique cone is formed.

A cone in which the apex (or the pointed tip) is perpendicular to the
base is called a right circular cone. A cone in which the apex lies
anywhere away from the center of the base is called an oblique cone.

A cone has a height and a radius. Apart from the height, a cone has a
slant height, which is the distance between the apex and any point on
the circumference of the circular base of the cone.
Cone - a 3d geometric shape

Torus

A torus is a 3D shape. It is formed by revolving a smaller circle of

radius (r) around a larger circle with a bigger radius (R) in a three-
dimensional space.

A torus is a regular ring, shaped like a tire or doughnut.

It has no edges or vertices.

Torus - a 3d geometric shape

Pyramid

A pyramid is a polyhedron with a polygon base and an apex with

straight edges and flat faces. Based on their apex alignment with the
center of the base, they can be classified into regular and oblique
pyramids.

A pyramid with a triangular base is called a Tetrahedron.

A pyramid with a quadrilateral base is called a square pyramid.

A pyramid with the base of a pentagon is called a pentagonal pyramid.

A pyramid with the base of a regular hexagon is called a hexagonal

pyramid.
3d shapes - Types of Pyramids

Prisms

Prisms are solids with identical polygon ends and flat parallelogram
sides. Some of the characteristics of a prism are:

It has the same cross-section all along its length.

The different types of prisms are - triangular prisms, square prisms,

pentagonal prisms, hexagonal prisms, and so on.

Prisms are also broadly classified into regular prisms and oblique
prisms.
3D shapes - Types of Prisms

Now, let us learn about 3-dimensional shapes that are platonic solids.

Polyhedrons

A polyhedron is a 3D shape that has polygonal faces like (triangle,

square, hexagon) with straight edges and vertices. It is also called a
platonic solid. There are five regular polyhedrons. A regular polyhedron
means that all the faces are the same. For example, a cube has all its
faces in the shape of a square. Some more examples of regular
polyhedrons are given below:

A Tetrahedron has four equilateral-triangular faces.

An Octahedron has eight equilateral-triangular faces.

A Dodecahedron has twelve regular pentagon faces.

An Icosahedron has twenty equilateral-triangular faces.

A Cube has six square faces.

Regular Polyhedrons - 3d geometric shapes

Properties of 3D Shapes