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Computer Graphics 14

The document discusses and compares several computer graphics algorithms for visible surface determination: 1. Back-face detection eliminates half of polygon surfaces that face away from the viewing direction. 2. The depth-buffer algorithm compares depth values for each pixel and renders surfaces from back to front. It is fast but does not handle transparency. 3. The A-buffer method extends the depth buffer to allow transparency by storing surface data in a linked list for pixels with multiple surfaces. 4. The scan-line method processes surfaces intersecting each scan line from left to right and compares depths to determine visibility. It struggles with overlapping surfaces. 5. The depth-sorting method first sorts surfaces by depth and then

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Kranthi Kumar
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73 views

Computer Graphics 14

The document discusses and compares several computer graphics algorithms for visible surface determination: 1. Back-face detection eliminates half of polygon surfaces that face away from the viewing direction. 2. The depth-buffer algorithm compares depth values for each pixel and renders surfaces from back to front. It is fast but does not handle transparency. 3. The A-buffer method extends the depth buffer to allow transparency by storing surface data in a linked list for pixels with multiple surfaces. 4. The scan-line method processes surfaces intersecting each scan line from left to right and compares depths to determine visibility. It struggles with overlapping surfaces. 5. The depth-sorting method first sorts surfaces by depth and then

Uploaded by

Kranthi Kumar
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Back face detection:-The simplest thing we can do is find the faces on the backs of polyhedra and discard them

We know from before that a point (x, y, z) is behind a polygon surface if:
where A, B, C & D are the plane parameters for the surface
This can actually be made even easier if we organise things to suit ourselves

Ensure we have a right handed system with the viewing direction along the negative z-axis
Now we can simply say that if the z component of the polygon’s normal is less than zero the surface cannot be seen

In general back-face detection can be expected to eliminate about half of the polygon surfaces in a scene from further visibility
tests.More complicated surfaces though scupper us!We need better techniques to handle these kind of situations

DEPTH-BUFFER CODITION:-
Compares surface depth values throughout a scene for each pixel position on the projection plane.Usually applied to scenes only
containing polygons.As depth values can be computed easily, this tends to be very fast.Also often called the z-buffer method.

1. Initialise the depth buffer and frame buffer so that for all buffer positions (x, y)
DepthBuff(x, y) = 1.0
FrameBuff(x, y) = bgColour
2. Process each polygon in a scene, one at a time
-> For each projected (x, y) pixel position of a polygon, calculate the depth z (if not already known)
->If z < depthBuff(x, y), compute the surface colour at that position and set
DepthBuff(x, y) = z
FrameBuff(x, y) = surfColour(x, y)
After all surfaces are processed depthBuff and frameBuff will store correct values

Interctive caluculations:-

The depth-buffer algorithm proceeds by starting at the top vertex of the polygon.Then we recursively calculate the x-coordinate
values down a left edge of the polygon.The x value for the beginning position on each scan line can be calculated from the
previous one.
1
x' = x −
mWhere m is the slope
Depth values along the edge being considered are calculated using

A +B
z' = z − m
C
A-Buffer Method:-

The A-buffer method is an extension of the depth-buffer method.The A-buffer method is visibility detection method developed at
Lucasfilm Studios for the rendering system REYES (Renders Everything You Ever Saw)
The A-buffer expands on the depth buffer method to allow transparencies.The key data structure in the A-buffer is the
accumulation buffer

If depth is >= 0, then the surface data field stores the depth of that pixel position as before.If depth < 0 then the data filed stores a
pointer to a linked list of surface data.
Surface information in the A-buffer includes:
– RGB intensity components
– Opacity parameter
– Depth
– Percent of area coverage
– Surface identifier
– Other surface rendering parameters
The algorithm proceeds just like the depth buffer algorithm.The depth and opacity values are used to determine the final colour of
a pixel.

Scan-Line Method:-
An image space method for identifying visible surfaces .Computes and compares depth values along the various scan-lines for a
scene.
Two important tables are maintained:
– The edge table
– The surface facet table
The edge table contains:
– Coordinate end points of reach line in the scene
– The inverse slope of each line
– Pointers into the surface facet table to connect edges to surfaces

The surface facet tables contains:


– The plane coefficients
– Surface material properties
– Other surface data
– Maybe pointers into the edge table

To facilitate the search for surfaces crossing a given scan-line an active list of edges is formed for each scan-line as it is
processed.
The active list stores only those edges that cross the scan-line in order of increasing x.Also a flag is set for each surface to indicate
whether a position along a scan-line is either inside or outside the surface.

Pixel positions across each scan-line are processed from left to right.At the left intersection with a surface the surface flag is
turned on.At the right intersection point the flag is turned off.We only need to perform depth calculations when more than one
surface has its flag turned on at a certain scan-line position.

Scan Line Method Example:-

Scan-Line Method Limitations:-The scan-line method runs into trouble when surfaces cut through each other or
otherwise cyclically overlap.Such surfaces need to be divided.

Depth-Sorting Method:-
A visible surface detection method that uses both image-space and object-space operations
Basically, the following two operations are performed
– Surfaces are sorted in order of decreasing depth
– Surfaces are scan-converted in order, starting with the surface of greatest depth
The depth-sorting method is often also known as the painter’s method

Depth-Sorting Method (cont…):-


First, assume that we are viewing along the z direction.All surfaces in the scene are ordered according to the smallest z value on
each surface.The surface S at the end of the list is then compared against all other surfaces to see if there are any depth overlaps.If
no overlaps occur then the surface is scan converted as before and the process .
Depth Overlapping:-

z
zmax

zmin
z’max S
’
z’min

No Depth Overlap

Depth-Sorting Method (cont…):-


When there is depth overlap, we make the following tests:
– The bounding rectangles for the two surfaces do no overlap
– Surface S is completely behind the overlapping surface relative to the viewing position
– The overlapping surface is completely in front of S realtive to the viewing position
– The boundary edge projections of the two surfaces onto the view plane do not overla

The tests are performed in the order listed and as soon as one is true we move on to the next surface
If all tests fail then we swap the orders of the surfaces.

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