Everything Is a Triangle

Is graphics just one big illusion? Working on learning OpenGL and finally got past the hump of understanding how to draw a triangle (somewhat), and I used that knowledge to draw a cube, and it was kind of cool, because my brain KNOWS that it’s really just 6 triangles of slightly different shades of white, but my eyes can’t help but see a 3D cube. It’s a big old sham. There ARE no cubes. Everything is a triangle. Do I understand graphics now?

A Reddit post discusses learning OpenGL and realizing that a 3D cube rendered on screen is actually made from six differently shaded triangles. The joke is an exaggerated philosophical reaction to basic computer graphics: the poster treats the gap between mathematical construction and visual perception as proof that cubes do not really exist. It is used as a humorous reaction to discovering how graphics, illusions, or seemingly complex things work under the hood.

• @gentoomemes / 6247 2023-09-07