This short video called "Verto 2.0 Tutorial Series :: Episode 5 :: How 3D Graphics Work" can be found on Youtube, and works as a simple, straight forward overview of how 3D graphics work. The main focus of this video was on the shapes that make up 3D graphics, and the lighting that brings these shapes to life.
The first thing we learn is that almost all 3D graphics if made from polygons, specifically triangles. In the video, he refers to these polygons as the "atoms of 3D models," because they are the building blocks that construct 3D graphics. Below is a picture of the vertices that make up the polygon/triangle shapes. Connecting the vertices creates the different triangles. The triangle is the most important shape in 3D graphics.
Once the vertices are connected to make triangles, those triangles can be put together to form different 3D objects such as this image below. Here we see how the triangles are placed together to create this 3D creature.
The second most important part about 3D graphics is the lighting. Adding light can make the 3D object seem more realistic and not so "self illuminated," as if it refereed to in the video. By adding a light and moving it around, the light shines on the 3D object from different angles causing shadows and different parts of the object to light up depending on where it is standing.
The last focus of the video is the normals used with lighting. A normal is basically a line sticking out of each polygon/triangle used to create he 3D model. When the normal is pointing towards the light, that portion of the object is going to be light, but when the normals start facing farther and farther away from the light, that portion of the object will become dark.
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