Korea University

Visible-Surface Detection Methods

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Contents

 Abstract  Area-Subdivision Method

 Introduction  Octree Method
 Back-Face Detection  Ray-Casting Method
 Depth-Buffer Method  Image-Space Method vs.
 A-Buffer Method Object-Space Method
 Scan-Line Method  Curved Surfaces
 Depth-Sorting Method  Wireframe Methods
 BSP-Tree Method  Summary

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 2

 Korea University

Abstract

 Hidden-surface elimination methods

 Identifying visible parts of a scene from a viewpoint
 Numerous algorithms
• More memory - storage
• More processing time – execution time
• Only for special types of objects - constraints
 Deciding a method for a particular application
• Complexity of the scene
• Type of objects
• Available equipment
• Static or animated scene
Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 3 <Ex. Wireframe Displays>
 Korea University

Introduction

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Classification of Visible-Surface
Detection Algorithms
 Object-space methods vs. Image-space methods
• Object definition directly vs. their projected images
• Most visible-surface algorithms use image-space methods
• Object-space can be used effectively in some cases
 Ex) Line-display algorithms

 Object-space methods
• Compares objects and parts of objects to each other
 Image-space methods
• Point by point at each pixel position on the projection plane

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 Korea University

Sorting and Coherence Methods

 To improve performance
 Sorting
• Facilitate depth comparisons
 Ordering the surfaces according to their distance from
the viewplane

 Coherence
• Take advantage of regularity
 Epipolar geometry
 Topological coherence

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 Korea University

Back-Face Detection

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Inside-outside test

 A point (x, y, z) is “inside” a surface with plane

parameters A, B, C, and D if
Ax  By  Cz  D  0
 The polygon is a back face if

V N 0 N = (A, B, C)
V

• V is a vector in the viewing direction from the eye(camera)

• N is the normal vector to a polygon surface
Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 8
 Korea University

Advanced Configuration

 In the case of concave polyhedron

• Need more tests
 Determine faces totally or partly obscured by other faces
• In general, back-face removal can be expected to eliminate
about half of the surfaces from further visibility tests

<View of a concave polyhedron with

one face partially hidden by other surfaces>
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 Korea University

Depth-Buffer Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 Commonly used image-space approach

 Compares depths of each pixel on the projection
plane
• Referred to as the z-buffer method
 Usually applied to scenes of polygonal surfaces
• Depth values can be computed very quickly
• Easy to implement S3 S2
Yv

S1

(x, y)
Xv

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 11 Zv

 Korea University

Depth Buffer & Refresh Buffer

 Two buffer areas are required

• Depth buffer
 Store depth values for each (x, y) position
 All positions are initialized to minimum depth
 Usually 0 – most distant depth from the viewplane

• Refresh buffer
 Stores the intensity values for each position
 All positions are initialized to the background intensity

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 Korea University

Algorithm

 Initialize the depth buffer and refresh buffer

depth(x, y) = 0, refresh(x, y) = Ibackgnd
 For each position on each polygon surface
• Calculate the depth for each (x, y) position on the polygon
• If z > depth(x, y), then set
depth(x, y) = z, refresh(x, y) = Isurf(x, y)
 Advanced
• With resolution of 1024 by 1024
 Over a million positions in the depth buffer
• Process one section of the scene at a time
 Need a smaller depth buffer
 The buffer is reused for the next section

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 13

 Korea University

A-Buffer Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 An extension of the ideas in the depth-buffer method

 The origin of this name
• At the other end of the alphabet from “z-buffer”
• Antaliased, area-averaged, accumulation-buffer
• Surface-rendering system developed by ‘Lucasfilm’
 REYES(Renders Everything You Ever Saw)
Foreground
 A drawback of the depth-buffer method transparent surface

• Deals only with opaque surfaces

• Can’t accumulate intensity values
for more than one surface
Background
opaque surface
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 Korea University

Algorithm(1 / 2)

 Each position in the buffer can reference a linked list

of surfaces
• Several intensities can be considered at each pixel position
• Object edges can be antialiased
 Each position in the A-buffer has two fields
• Depth field
 Stores a positive or negative real number
• Intensity field
 Stores surface-intensity information or a pointer value
d>0 I d<0 Surf1 Surf2 
Depth Intensity Depth Intensity
field (a) field field (b) field
<Organization of an A-buffer pixel position : (a) single-surface overlap (b) multiple-surface overlap>

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 Korea University

Algorithm(2 / 2)

 If the depth field is positive

• The number at that position is the depth
• The intensity field stores the RGB
 If the depth field is negative
• Multiple-surface contributions to the pixel
• The intensity field stores a pointer to a linked list of
surfaces
• Data for each surface in the linked list
 RGB intensity components  Percent of area coverage
 Opacity parameters(percent of transparency)  Surface identifier
 Depth  Pointers to next surface

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 Korea University

Scan-Line Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 Extension of the scan-line algorithm for filling

polygon interiors
• For all polygons intersecting each scan line
 Processed from left to right
 Depth calculations for each overlapping surface
 The intensity of the nearest position is entered into the
refresh buffer

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 Korea University

Tables for The Various Surfaces

 Edge table
• Coordinate endpoints for each line
• Slope of each line
• Pointers into the polygon table
 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

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 Korea University

Active List & Flag

 Active list
• Contain only edges across the current scan line
• Sorted in order of increasing x
 Flag for each surface
• Indicate whether inside or outside of the surface
• At the leftmost boundary of a surface
 The surface flag is turned on
• At the rightmost boundary of a surface
 The surface flag is turned off

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 Korea University

Example

 Active list for scan line 1 B

E
yv F
• Edge table A Scan line 1
S1 S2
 AB, BC, EH, and FG Scan line 2

Scan line 3
H
 Between AB and BC, only C

D
the flag for surface S1 is on G
xv
 No depth calculations are necessary
 Intensity for surface S1 is entered into the refresh buffer

 Similarly, between EH and FG, only the flag for S2 is on

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 Korea University

Example(cont.)

 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
 Depth calculation is needed
 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

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 Korea University

Drawback

 Only if surfaces don’t cut through or

otherwise cyclically overlap each other
• If any kind of cyclic overlap is present
 Divide the surfaces

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 Korea University

Depth-Sorting Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Operations

 Image-space and object-space operations

• Sorting operations in both image and object-
space
• The scan conversion of polygon surfaces in
image-space
 Basic functions
• Surfaces are sorted in order of decreasing depth
• Surfaces are scan-converted in order, starting
with the surface of greatest depth

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 Korea University

Algorithm

 Referred to as the painter’s algorithm

• In creating an oil painting
 First paints the background colors
 The most distant objects are added
 Then the nearer objects, and so forth
 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
viewplane
• The intensities for the farthest surface are then entered into
the refresh buffer
• Taking each succeeding surface in decreasing depth order
Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 27
 Korea University

Overlapping Tests

 Tests for each surface that overlaps with S

Easy
• The bounding rectangle in the xy plane for the two surfaces
do not overlap (1)
• Surface S is completely behind the overlapping surface
relative to the viewing position (2)
• The overlapping surface is completely in front of S relative
to the viewing position (3)
Difficult
• The projections of the two surfaces onto the viewplane do
not overlap (4)
 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
Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 28
 Korea University

Overlapping Test Examples

S’

xv xv
(1) (2)
zv zv

S S

S’ S’

xv xv
(3) (4)
zv zv

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 Korea University

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
<S  S’> <S  S’’, then S’’  S’>
zv zv

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 30

 Korea University

Drawback

 If two or more surfaces alternately obscure

each other
• Infinite loop
• Flag any surface that has been reordered to a
farther depth
 It can’t be moved again
• If an attempt to switch the surface a second time
 Divide it into two parts to eliminate the cyclic loop
 The original surface is then replaced by the two new
surfaces
Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 31
 Korea University

BSP-Tree Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 Binary Space-Partitioning(BSP) Tree

 Determining object visibility by painting
surfaces onto the screen from back to front
• Like the painter’s algorithm
 Particularly useful
• The view reference point changes
• The objects in a scene are at fixed positions

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 Korea University

Process

 Identifying surfaces
• “inside” and “outside” the partitioning plane
 Intersected object
• Divide the object into two separate objects(A, B)
P2 P1 P1

C front back
D

A P2 P2

front back front back

B
front back A C B D
back front

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 Korea University

Area-Subdivision Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 Takes advantage of area coherence

• Locating view areas that represent part of a single surface
• Successively dividing the total viewing area into smaller
rectangles
 Until each small area is the projection of part of a single
visible surface or no surface
• Require tests
 Identify the area as part of a single surface
 Tell us that the area is too complex to analyze easily

 Similar to constructing a quadtree

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 36
 Korea University

Process

 Staring with the total view

• Apply the identifying tests
• If the tests indicate that the view is sufficiently
complex
 Subdivide
• Apply the tests to each of the smaller areas
 Until belonging to a single surface
 Until the size of a single pixel
 Example
• With a resolution 1024  1024
 10 times before reduced to a point
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 Korea University

Identifying Tests

 Four possible relationships

• Surrounding surface
 Completely enclose the area Surrounding Overlapping
Surface Surface
• Overlapping surface
 Partly inside and partly outside the area
• Inside surface
• Outside surface Inside Outside
Surface Surface
 No further subdivisions are needed if one of the following
conditions is true
• All surface are outside surfaces with respect to the area
• Only one inside, overlapping, or surrounding surface is in the area
• A surrounding surface obscures all other surfaces within the area
boundaries  from depth sorting, plane equation

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 Korea University

Octree Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 Extension of area-subdivision method

 Projecting octree nodes onto the viewplane
• Front-to-back order  Depth-first traversal
 The nodes for the front suboctants of octant 0 are
visited before the nodes for the four back suboctants
 The pixel in the framebuffer is assigned that color if no
values have previously been stored 6

 Only the front colors are loaded 4

5

1
0

7 2
3
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 Korea University

Displaying An Octree

 Map the octree onto a quadtree of visible

areas
• Traversing octree nodes from front to back in a
recursive procedure
• The quadtree representation for the 6

5
visible surfaces is loaded into the 4

framebuffer
1
0

7 2
3

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory 41 Octants in Space

 Korea University

Ray-Casting Method

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 Based on geometric optics methods

• Trace the paths of light rays
 Line of sight from a pixel position on the viewplane through a
scene
 Determine which objects intersect this line
 Identify the visible surface whose intersection point is closest
to the pixel
• Infinite number of light rays
 Consider only rays that pass through pixel positions
 Trace the light-ray paths backward from the pixels

 Effective visibility-detection method

• For scenes with curved surfaces

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 Korea University
Image-Space Method vs.
Object-Space Method
 Image-Space Method  Object-Space Method
• Depth-Buffer Method • Back-Face Detection
• A-Buffer Method • BSP-Tree Method
• Scan-Line Method • Area-Subdivision Method
• Area-Subdivision Method • Octree Methods
• Ray-Casting Method

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 Korea University

Curved Surfaces

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Abstract

 Effective methods for curved surfaces

• Ray-casting
• Octree methods
 Approximate a curved surface as a set of
plane, polygon surfaces
• Use one of the other hidden-surface methods
• More efficient as well as more accurate than
using ray casting and the curved-surface equation
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 Korea University

Curved-Surface Representations

 Implicit equation of the form

f ( x, y , z )  0
 Parametric representation
 Explicit surface equation
z  f ( x, y )
• Useful for some cases
 A height function over an xy ground plane
 Scan-line and ray-casting algorithms
• Involve numerical approximation techniques
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 Korea University

Surface Contour Plots

 Display a surface function with a set of

contour lines that show the surface shape
• Useful in math, physics, engineering, ...
 With an explicit representation
• Plot the visible-surface contour lines
• To obtain an xy plot  y  f ( x, z )
 Plotted for values of z
 Using a specified interval z

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<Color-coded surface contour plot>
 Korea University

Wireframe Methods

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Characteristics

 In wireframe display
• Visibility tests are applied to surface edges
• Visible edge sections are displayed
• Hidden edge sections can be eliminated or
displayed differently from the visible edges
 Procedures for determining visibility of edges
• Wireframe-visibility(Visible-line detection,
Hidden-line detection) methods

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Wireframe Visibility Methods

 Compare each line to each surface

• Direct approach to identifying the visible lines
• Depth values are compared to the surfaces
• Use coherence methods
 No actual testing each coordinate

 With depth-sorting
• Interiors are in the background color
• Boundaries are in the foreground color
• Processing the surfaces from back to front
 Hidden lines are erased by the nearer surfaces
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Summary

Jung Lee, Computer Graphics Laboratory

 Korea University

Comparison(1 / 2)

 Back-face detection methods

• Fast and effective as an initial screening
 Eliminate many polygons from further visibility tests
• In general, this can’t completely identify all
hidden surfaces
 Depth-buffer(z-buffer) method
• Fast and simple
• Two buffers
 Refresh buffer for the pixel intensities
 Depth buffer for the depth of the visible surface
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 Korea University

Comparison(2 / 2)

 A-buffer method
• An improvement on the depth-buffer approach
• Additional information
 Antialiased and transparent surfaces
 Other visible-surface detection schemes
• Scan-line method
• Depth-sorting method(painter’s algorithm)
• BSP-tree method
• Area subdivision method
• Octree methods
• Ray casting

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