Patent · US Expired

Raycasting system and method

US6525729B1 · kind B1 · utility

20Cited by
5References
48Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 21, 2000
Grant dateFeb 25, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 21, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T15/40
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of determining a z-buffer for a voxel data set, comprising first raycasting at least a first ray to determine a value for a first z-buffer element; and second raycasting at least a second ray to determine a value for a second z-buffer element, where said z-buffer element values are determined at different accuracies, which different accuracies are responsive to characteristics of the data set at a neighborhood of said rays. Preferably, said different accuracies are achieved by modifying the accuracy of determination of an intersection between a cast ray and a solid voxel of said data set. Alternatively or additionally, said different accuracies are achieved by modifying the density of raycasting into the z-buffer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.