pyGANDALF - An open-source Geometric, ANimation, Directed, Algorithmic, Learning Framework for Computer Graphics
Authors: 
John Petropoulos, Manos Kamarianakis, Antonis Protopsaltis, 
George PapagiannakisAuthors Info & Claims
John Petropoulos, Manos Kamarianakis, Antonis Protopsaltis, George PapagiannakisAuthors Info & ClaimsArticle No.: 13, Pages 1 - 9
Abstract
In computer graphics (CG) education, the challenge of finding modern, versatile tools is significant, particularly when integrating both legacy and advanced technologies. Traditional frameworks, often reliant on solid, yet outdated APIs like OpenGL, limit the exploration of cutting-edge graphics techniques. To address this, we introduce pyGANDALF, a unique, lightweight, open-source CG framework built on three pillars: Entity-Component-System (ECS) architecture, Python programming, and WebGPU integration. This combination sets pyGANDALF apart by providing a streamlined ECS design with an editor layer, compatibility with WebGPU for state-of-the-art features like compute and ray tracing pipelines, and a programmer-friendly Python environment. The framework supports modern features, such as Physically Based Rendering (PBR) capabilities and integration with Universal Scene Description (USD) formats, making it suitable for both educational demonstrations and real-world applications. Evaluations by expert users confirmed that pyGANDALF effectively balances ease of use with advanced functionality, preparing students for contemporary CG development challenges.
Supplemental Material
MP4 File
Supplementary Video
- Download
- 48.86 MB
References
[1]
Carlos Andujar, Antonio Chica, Marta Fairén, and Alvar Vinacua. 2018. GL-Socket: A CG Plugin-based Framework for Teaching and Assessment. In EG 2018 - Education Papers, Frits Post and Jirí Žára (Eds.). The Eurographics Association.
[2]
D. G. Balreira, M. Walter, and D. W. Fellner. 2017a. What we are teaching in introduction to computer graphics. In Proceedings of the European Association for Computer Graphics: Education Papers (Lyon, France) (EG ’17). Eurographics Association, Goslar, DEU, 1–7.
[3]
Dennis Giovani Balreira, Marcelo Walter, Dieter W Fellner, et al. 2017b. What we are teaching in Introduction to Computer Graphics. In Eurographics (Education Papers). 1–7.
[4]
Marilyn Hughes Blackmon, Peter G Polson, Muneo Kitajima, and Clayton Lewis. 2002. Cognitive walkthrough for the web. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. 463–470.
[5]
Lars-Ola Bligård and Anna-Lisa Osvalder. 2007. An analytical approach for predicting and identifying use error and usability problem. In HCI and Usability for Medicine and Health Care: Third Symposium of the Workgroup Human-Computer Interaction and Usability Engineering of the Austrian Computer Society, USAB 2007 Graz, Austria, November, 22, 2007. Proceedings 3. Springer, 427–440.
[6]
Dear ImGui Bundle. 2023. Dear ImGui Bundle: an extensive set of ready-to-use widgets and libraries, based on ImGui. https://pthom.github.io/imgui_bundle/index.html
[7]
Benjamin Bürgisser, David Steiner, and Renato Pajarola. 2017. bRenderer: A Flexible Basis for a Modern Computer Graphics Curriculum. In EG 2017 - Education Papers, Jean-Jacques Bourdin and Amit Shesh (Eds.). The Eurographics Association.
[8]
Brian Danchilla. 2012. Three.js Framework. Apress, Berkeley, CA, 173–203.
[9]
Sandra G. Hart and Lowell E. Staveland. 1988. Development of NASA-TLX (Task Load Index): Results of Empirical and Theoretical Research. In Human Mental Workload, Peter A. Hancock and Najmedin Meshkati (Eds.). Advances in Psychology, Vol. 52. North-Holland, 139–183.
[10]
Benjamin Kenwright. 2022. Introduction to computer graphics and ray-tracing using the webgpu api. In 15th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia 2022.
[11]
Benjamin Kenwright. 2023. Web Programming Using the WebGPU API. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2023 Courses (Los Angeles) (SIGGRAPH ’23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 21, 184 pages.
[12]
Thomas Mahatody, Mouldi Sagar, and Christophe Kolski. 2010. State of the art on the cognitive walkthrough method, its variants and evolutions. Intl. Journal of Human–Computer Interaction 26, 8 (2010), 741–785.
[13]
Miryahyoyeva Mashxura and Ilhomjon Meliqo’ziyevich Siddiqov. 2023. Effects of the Flipped Classroom in Teaching Computer Graphics. Eurasian Research Bulletin 16 (2023), 119–123.
[14]
James R Miller. 2014. Using a software framework to enhance online teaching of shader-based opengl. In Proceedings of the 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education. 603–608.
[15]
George Papagiannakis, Manos Kamarianakis, Antonis Protopsaltis, Dimitris Angelis, and Paul Zikas. 2023. Project Elements: A Computational Entity-component-system in a Scene-graph Pythonic Framework, for a Neural, Geometric Computer Graphics Curriculum. In Eurographics 2023 - Education Papers, Alejandra Magana and Jiri Zara (Eds.). The Eurographics Association.
[16]
G. Papagiannakis, P. Papanikolaou, E. Greassidou, and P. Trahanias. 2014. glGA: an OpenGL Geometric Application Framework for a Modern, Shader-based Computer Graphics Curriculum. In Eurographics 2014 - Education Papers. The Eurographics Association.
[17]
Sumanta N. Pattanaik and Alexis Benamira. 2021. Teaching Computer Graphics During Pandemic using Observable Notebook. In Eurographics 2021 - Education Papers, Beatriz Sousa Santos and Gitta Domik (Eds.). The Eurographics Association.
[18]
Thomas Suselo, Burkhard C Wünsche, and Andrew Luxton-Reilly. 2017. The journey to improve teaching computer graphics: A systematic review. In Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2017). APSCE, Christchurch, New Zealand. 361–366.
[19]
Thomas Suselo, Burkhard C. Wünsche, and Andrew Luxton-Reilly. 2019. Technologies and Tools to Support Teaching and Learning Computer Graphics: A Literature Review. In Proceedings of the Twenty-First Australasian Computing Education Conference (Sydney, NSW, Australia) (ACE ’19). Association for Computing Machinery.
[20]
Antoine Toisoul, Daniel Rueckert, and Bernhard Kainz. 2017. Accessible GLSL shader programming. In Proceedings of the European Association for Computer Graphics: Education papers. 35–42.
[21]
J. Unterguggenberger, B. Kerbl, and M. Wimmer. 2022. The Road to Vulkan: Teaching Modern Low-Level APIs in Introductory Graphics Courses. In Eurographics 2022 - Education Papers (Reims). The Eurographics Association, 31–39.
[22]
J. Unterguggenberger, B. Kerbl, and M. Wimmer. 2023. Vulkan all the way: Transitioning to a modern low-level graphics API in academia. Computers & Graphics 111 (2023), 155–165.
[23]
Burkhard Claus Wuensche, Kai-Cheung Leung, Davis Dimalen, et al. 2022. Using an Assessment Tool to Create Sandboxes for Computer Graphics Teaching in an Online Environment. In Proceedings of the 10th Computer Science Education Research Conference (Virtual Event, Netherlands) (CSERC ’21). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 21–30.
[24]
Burkhard C. Wünsche, Edward Huang, Lindsay Shaw, Thomas Suselo, Kai-Cheung Leung, Davis Dimalen, Wannes van der Mark, Andrew Luxton-Reilly, and Richard Lobb. 2019. CodeRunnerGL - An Interactive Web-Based Tool for Computer Graphics Teaching and Assessment. In 2019 International Conference on Electronics, Information, and Communication (ICEIC). 1–7.
Index Terms
- pyGANDALF - An open-source Geometric, ANimation, Directed, Algorithmic, Learning Framework for Computer Graphics
Recommendations
Vulkan all the way: Transitioning to a modern low-level graphics API in academia
AbstractFor over two decades, the OpenGL API provided users with the means for implementing versatile, feature-rich, and portable real-time graphics applications. Consequently, it has been widely adopted by practitioners and educators alike ...
Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted
Highlights- How to transition introductory graphics courses from OpenGL to Vulkan.
- ...
Real-time bump mapped texture shading based-on hardware acceleration
VRCAI '04: Proceedings of the 2004 ACM SIGGRAPH international conference on Virtual Reality continuum and its applications in industryIt would be more convinced if we can provide more realistic visual effects in a VR system. Bump mapping can simulate a surface bumpy appearance without any overload of increasing extra polygons. Techniques of programmable per-vertex shader and per-pixel ...
Real-Time Defocus Rendering With Level of Detail and Sub-Sample Blur
This paper presents a GPU-based rendering algorithm for real-time defocus blur effects, which significantly improves the accumulation buffering. The algorithm combines three distinctive techniques: 1 adaptive discrete geometric level of detail LOD, made ...
Comments
Information & Contributors
Information
Published In
Copyright © 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the owner/author(s).
Sponsors
Publisher
Association for Computing Machinery
New York, NY, United States
Publication History
Published: 22 November 2024
Check for updates
Author Tags
Qualifiers
- Abstract
Funding Sources
- Innovation project Swiss Accelerator - Innosuisse
- National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0 - NextGenerationEU
Conference
SA '24
Sponsor:
Acceptance Rates
Overall Acceptance Rate 178 of 869 submissions, 20%
Contributors
Other Metrics
Bibliometrics & Citations
Bibliometrics
Article Metrics
- 0Total Citations
- 171Total Downloads
- Downloads (Last 12 months)171
- Downloads (Last 6 weeks)10
Reflects downloads up to 08 Mar 2025
Other Metrics
Citations
View Options
Login options
Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Sign inFull Access
View options
View or Download as a PDF file.
PDFeReader
View online with eReader.
eReaderFull Text
View this article in Full Text.
Full TextHTML Format
View this article in HTML Format.
HTML Format