UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

LECTURER III
CIRCLE-GENERATING ALGORITHMS
General function is available in a graphics library for displaying various kinds of curves,
including circles and ellipses.
Properties of a circle
A circle is defined as a set of points that are all the given distance (xc,yc).

Fig1.29: Circle

This distance relationship is expressed by the pythagorean theorem in Cartesian coordinates as

(x xc)2 + (y yc) 2 = r2 ---------------------------(1)
Use above equation to calculate the position of points on a circle circumference by stepping
along the x axis in unit steps from xc-r to xc+r and calculating the corresponding y values at each
position as
y = yc +(- ) (r2 (xc x )2)1/2----------------------------- (2)
This is not the best method for generating a circle for the following reason Considerable amount
of computation Spacing between plotted pixels is not uniform
To eliminate the unequal spacing is to calculate points along the circle boundary using
polar coordinates r and . Expressing the circle equation in parametric polar from yields the pair
of equations
x = xc + rcos

y = yc + rsin

When a display is generated with these equations using a fixed angular step size, a circle
is plotted with equally spaced points along the circumference. To reduce calculations use a large

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE

1

UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

angular separation between points along the circumference and connect the points with straight
line segments to approximate the circular path.
Set the angular step size at 1/r. This plots pixel positions that are approximately one unit
apart. The shape of the circle is similar in each quadrant. To determine the curve positions in the
first quadrant, to generate he circle section in the second quadrant of the xy plane by nothing that
the two circle sections are symmetric with respect to the y axis and circle section in the third and
fourth quadrants can be obtained from sections in the first and second quadrants by considering
symmetry between octants.
Circle sections in adjacent octants within one quadrant are symmetric with respect to the
450 line dividing the two octants. Where a point at position (x, y) on a one-eight circle sector is
mapped into the seven circle points in the other octants of the xy plane.
To generate all pixel positions around a circle by calculating only the points within the
sector from x=0 to y=0. the slope of the curve in this octant has an magnitude less than of equal
to 1.0. at x=0, the circle slope is 0 a nd at x=y, the slope is -1.0

Fig1.30:Circle Slope Diagram

Bresenhams line algorithm for raster displays is adapted to circle generation by setting
up decision parameters for finding the closest pixel to the circumference at each sampling step.
Square root evaluations would be required to computer pixel siatances from a circular path.
Bresenhams circle algorithm avoids these square root calculations by comparing the
squares of the pixel separation distances. It is possible to perform a direct distance comparison
without a squaring operation.

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE

UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

In this approach is to test the halfway position between two pixels to determine if this
midpoint is inside or outside the circle boundary. This method is more easily applied to other
conics and for an integer circle radius the midpoint approach generates the same pixel positions
as the Bresenham circle algorithm.
For a straight line segment the midpoint method is equivalent to the bresenham line
algorithm. The error involved in locating pixel positions along any conic section using the
midpoint test is limited to one half the pixel separations.
Midpoint circle Algorithm:
In the raster line algorithm at unit intervals and determine the closest pixel position to the
specified circle path at each step for a given radius r and screen center position (x c,yc) set up our
algorithm to calculate pixel positions around a circle path centered at the coordinate position by
adding xc to x and yc to y.
To apply the midpoint method we define a circle function as
fcircle (x,y) = x2+y2-r2
Any point (x,y) on the boundary of the circle with radius r satisfies the equation fcircle (x,y)=0.
If the point is in the interior of the circle, the circle function is negative. And if the point is
outside the circle the, circle function is positive
fcircle (x,y)
<0, if (x,y) is inside the circle boundary
=0, if (x,y) is on the circle boundary
>0, if (x,y) is outside the circle boundary
The tests in the above eqn are performed for the midposition sbteween pixels near the circle path
at each sampling step. The circle function is the decision parameter in the midpoint algorithm.
Midpoint between candidate pixels at sampling position xk+1 along a circular path. Fig -1
shows the midpoint between the two candidate pixels at sampling position x k+1. To plot the pixel
at (xk,yk) next need to determine whether the pixel at position (x k+1,yk) or the one at position
(xk+1,yk-1) is circular to the circle.
Our decision parameter is the circle function evaluated at the midpoint between these two
pixels

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE

UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

Pk= fcircle (xk+1,yk-1/2)

=(xk+1)2+(yk-1/2)2-r2
If Pk <0, this midpoint is inside the circle and the pixel on scan line y k is closer to the circle
boundary. Otherwise the mid position is outside or on the circle boundary and select the pixel on
scan line yk -1.
Successive decision parameters are obtained using incremental calculations. To obtain a
recursive expression for the next decision parameter by evaluating the circle function at sampling
position xk+1+1= xk+2
Pk

= fcircle (xk+1+1,yk+1-1/2)
=[(xk+1)+1]2+(yk+1-1/2)2-r2
Or

Pk+1

=Pk+2(xk+1)+(y2k+1-y2 k )-(yk+1-yk)+1
Where yk+1 is either yk or yk-1 depending on the sign of Pk .

Increments for obtaining Pk+1 are either 2xk+1+1 (if Pk is negative) or 2xk+1+1-2 yk+1.
Evaluation of the terms 2xk+1 and 2 yk+1 can also be done incrementally as
2xk+1=2xk+2
2yk+1=2 yk-2
At the Start position (0,r) these two terms have the values 0 and 2r respectively. Each
successive value for the 2xk+1 term is obtained by adding 2 to the previous value and each
successive value for the 2yk+1 term is obtained by subtracting 2 from the previous value.
The initial decision parameter is obtained by evaluating the circle function at the start
position (x0,y0)=(0,r)
P0

= fcircle (1,r-1/2)
=1+(r-1/2)2-r2
Or

P0

=(5/4)-r

If the radius r is specified as an integer P0=1-r (for r an integer)

Midpoint circle Algorithm
1. Input radius r and circle center (xc,yc) and obtain the first point on the circumference of the
circle centered on the origin as (x0,y0) = (0,r)

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE

UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

2. Calculate the initial value of the decision parameter as P0=(5/4)-r

3. At each xk position, starting at k=0, perform the following test. If Pk <0 the next point along
the circle centered on (0,0) is (xk+1,yk) and Pk+1=Pk+2xk+1+1 Otherwise the next point along the
circle is (xk+1,yk-1) and Pk+1=Pk+2xk+1+1-2 yk+1
Where 2xk+1=2xk+2 and 2yk+1=2yk-2
4. Determine symmetry points in the other seven octants.
5. Move each calculated pixel position (x,y) onto the circular path centered at (x c,yc) and plot the
coordinate values.
x=x+xc

y=y+yc

6. Repeat step 3 through 5 until x>=y.

Example : Midpoint Circle Drawing
Given a circle radius r=10
The circle octant in the first quadrant from x=0 to x=y. The initial value of the decision
parameter is P0=1-r = - 9
For the circle centered on the coordinate origin, the initial point is (x 0,y0)=(0,10) and initial
increment terms for calculating the decision parameters are
2x0=0 , 2y0=20
Successive midpoint decision parameter values and the corresponding coordinate positions along
the circle path are listed in the following table.

k
0
1
2
3
4
5
6

pk
-9
-6
-1
6
-3
8
5

(xk+1, yk-1)
(1,10)
(2,10)
(3,10)
(4,9)
(5,9)
(6,8)
(7,7)

2xk+1
2
4
6
8
10
12
14

2yk+1
20
20
20
18
18
16
14

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE

UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

RESULT:

Fig1.30: Midpoint Circle Drawing Algorithm

Implementation of Midpoint Circle Algorithm

void circleMidpoint (int xCenter, int yCenter, int radius)
{
int x = 0;
int y = radius;
int p = 1 - radius;
void circlePlotPoints (int, int, int, int); /* Plot first set of points */
circlePlotPoints (xCenter, yCenter, x, y);
while (x < y)
{
x++ ;
if (p < 0) p +=2*x +1;
else
{
y--;
p +=2* (x - Y) + 1;
}
circlePlotPoints(xCenter, yCenter, x, y)
}
}

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE

UNIT I 2D PRIMITIVES - OUTPUT PRIMITIVES

Regulation 2008

void circlePlotPolnts (int xCenter, int yCenter, int x, int y)

{
setpixel (xCenter + x, yCenter + y ) ;
setpixel (xCenter - x. yCenter + y);
setpixel (xCenter + x, yCenter - y);
setpixel (xCenter - x, yCenter - y ) ;
setpixel (xCenter + y, yCenter + x);
setpixel (xCenter - y , yCenter + x);
setpixel (xCenter t y , yCenter - x); s
etpixel (xCenter - y , yCenter - x);
}

Ms.A.Aruna , Assistant Professor / IT, SNSCE