Comprehensible rendering of 3-D shapes

We propose a new rendering technique that produces 3-D images with enhanced visual comprehensibility. Shape features can be readily understood if certain geometric properties are enhanced. To achieve this, we develop drawing algorithms for discontinuities, edges, contour lines, and curved hatching. All of them are realized with 2-D image processing operations instead of line tracking processes, so that they can be efficiently combined with conventional surface rendering algorithms. Data about the geometric properties of the surfaces are preserved as Geometric Buffers (G-buffers). Each G-buffer contains one geometric property such as the depth or the normal vector of each pixel. By using G-buffers as intermediate results, artificial enhancement processes are separated from geometric processes (projection and hidden surface removal) and physical processes (shading and texture mapping), and performed as postprocesses. This permits a user to rapidly examine various combinations of enhance...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1990
• Where: SIGGRAPH
• Authors: Takafumi Saito, Tokiichiro Takahashi
• Keywords: Certain Geometric Properties, Computer Graphics, Geometric, Geometric Properties, SIGGRAPH 1990