Data visualizer utilizing exterior selected and depth sorted polyhedron faces
US5742293A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 26, 1996 |
| Grant date | Apr 21, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 26, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/06
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
To provide high-speed volume rendering without computing the points at which a viewing ray intersects with the boundaries of a volume data area. Visualizing a volume entails: selecting the exterior faces that face toward a viewing point from among a plurality of exterior faces of a volume data area, sorting the ones thus selected according to distance from the viewing point, selecting those exterior faces in the sorting order, and determining pixels on a projection plane corresponding to the exterior faces in question by scan conversion; computing pixel values along each viewing ray passing through each pixel for each corresponding exterior face until a final exterior face is encountered; such a final exterior face can be judged from information on many partial solids restricting the volume data area; when a viewing ray enters the volume data area again, pixel values to be added later on another exterior face are computed and added to the previous pixel values; the completion of processing of all exterior faces facing toward a viewing point is tantamount to the completion of processing all viewing rays.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.