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Visible Surface Detection Methods

The document describes two common visible surface detection algorithms: the scan-line method and depth-sorting method. The scan-line method processes surfaces intersecting each scan line from left to right, performing depth calculations to determine the visible surface at each point. It uses edge and polygon tables along with an active list and surface flags. The depth-sorting method first sorts surfaces by depth then scan converts them in order, similar to a painter painting a scene. It may need to reorder surfaces that overlap to ensure the correct painting order and avoid infinite loops.

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MayukhKaunda
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41 views

Visible Surface Detection Methods

The document describes two common visible surface detection algorithms: the scan-line method and depth-sorting method. The scan-line method processes surfaces intersecting each scan line from left to right, performing depth calculations to determine the visible surface at each point. It uses edge and polygon tables along with an active list and surface flags. The depth-sorting method first sorts surfaces by depth then scan converts them in order, similar to a painter painting a scene. It may need to reorder surfaces that overlap to ensure the correct painting order and avoid infinite loops.

Uploaded by

MayukhKaunda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Visible Surface Detection

Methods

Presented By
Renupama Singha
MCA 4th semester
Roll No:15/29
contents

 Introduction

 Scan-Line Method

 Depth-Sorting Method
Introduction
Classification of Visible Surface
Detection Algorithms

 Object Space Method


Deal with object definitions directly

Compares objects and parts of objects to each other

 Image Space Method


Deal with their projected images

Point by point at each pixel position on the projection plane


Note:
• Most visible-surface algorithms use image-space methods
• Object-space can be used effectively in some cases
Sorting And Coherence Method

 To improve performance

 Sorting
• Facilitate depth comparison

• Ordering the individual surfaces in a scene according to


their distance from the view plane

 Coherence
• To take advantage of regularities in a scene
Scan-Line Method
Characteristics
 extension of the scan line algorithm for filling
polygon interior

• For all polygons intersecting each scan line


o Processed from left to right

o Depth calculations for each overlapping surface

o The intensity of the nearest position is entered into


the refresh buffer
Tables for various surfaces
 Edge table
• Coordinate endpoints for each line
• Slope of each line
• Pointers into the polygon table
o Identify the surfaces bounded by each line

 Polygon Table
• Coefficients of the plane equation for each surface
• Intensity information for the surfaces
• Pointers into the edge table
Active List & Flag
 Active List
• Contain only edges across the current scan line
• Sorted in order of increasing x

 Flag
• Indicate whether a position along a scan line is inside or outside of the
surface
• At the leftmost boundary of a surface
o The surface flag is turned on
• At the rightmost boundary of a surface
oThe surface flag is turned off
Example
 Active list for scan line 1
 Edge table
• AB, BC, EH, and FG
• Between AB and BC, only the flag
for surface S1 is on
o No depth calculations are
necessary
o Intensity for surface S1 is
entered into the refresh
buffer
• Similarly, between EH and FG,
only the flag for S2 is on
10
 For scan line 2, 3
• AD, EH, BC, and FG
 Between AD and EH, only the flag for S1 is on

 Between EH and BC, the flags for both surfaces are on

o Depth calculation is needed

o Intensities for S1 are loaded into the refresh buffer until BC

• Take advantage of coherence


 Pass from one scan line to next
 Scan line 3 has the same active list as scan line 2

 Unnecessary to make depth calculations between EH and BC


Drawback
• works only if surfaces do not cut through or otherwise cyclically
overlap each other
 if any kind of cyclic overlap is present

Divide the surface


Depth Sorting Method
Operations
 Image-space and object-space operations
• Sorting operations in both image and object-space

• The scan conversion of polygon surfaces in image-space

 Functions
• Surfaces are sorted in order of decreasing depth

• Surfaces are scan-converted in order, starting with the surface of


greatest depth
Algorithm
 Referred to as the painter’s algorithm
• In creating an oil painting
o First paints the background colors
o The most distant objects are added
o Then the nearer objects, and so forth
o Finally, the foregrounds are painted over all objects
• Each layer of paint covers up the previous layer

 Process
• Sort surfaces according to their distance from the view plane
• The intensities for the farthest surface are then entered into the refresh buffer
• Taking each succeeding surface in decreasing depth order
Overlapping Tests
 Tests for each surface that overlaps with S
 the tests are listed in order of increasing difficulty
1. The bounding rectangle in the xy plane for the two surfaces do not overlap
2. Surface S is completely behind the overlapping surface relative to the viewing
position
3. The overlapping surface is completely in front of S relative to the viewing position
4. The projections of the two surfaces onto the view plane do not overlap

 If all the surfaces pass at least one of the tests, none of them
is behind S
 No reordering is then necessary and S is scan converted
Overlapping Test Examples
Surface Reordering

 If all four tests fail with S’

• Interchange surfaces S and S’ in the sorted list

• Repeat the tests for each surface that is reordered in the list

S’ S’’
S S’
S

xv xv
zv zv
<S  S’> <S  S’’, then S’’  S’>
Drawback
 If two or more surfaces alternately obscure each other

• infinite loop
To avoid such loops

• Flag any surface that has been reordered to a farther depth position
so It can not be moved again

• If an attempt to switch the surface a second time


o Divide it into two parts to eliminate the cyclic loop
o The original surface is then replaced by the two new surfaces
Thank You

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