Hardware based graphics workstation solution for refraction phenomena
US5720020A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 1, 1995 |
| Grant date | Feb 17, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 1, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/50
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for drawing non-opaque objects with realistic refraction attributes. The system adjusts the pixel values of an object with a refraction index other than unity so that the resulting image approximates a refracted image. Adjacent pixel values are copied and blended with the pixel being rendered based upon a calculated refraction value. Refraction can be approximated as a surface effect by offset vectors, as a property of an object having parallel front and back surfaces and as an arbitrary object with non-parallel opposing surfaces. The more complex representations provide improved approximations of the refracted image. The resulting image presents a more realistic view of the refracted image.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.