Method and apparatus for surface approximation without cracks
US6707452B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 19, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 16, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T17/20
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for surface approximation without cracks. In one or more embodiments, a surface to be rendered is split into multiple adjacent regions (e.g., subdivision surfaces or patches). A data structure is associated with each boundary edge between two regions for storage of adjacency information in the form of a sequence of tessellation vertices. Adjacency information for a given edge is written into the data structure when an adjacent region is first tessellated. When the remaining adjacent region is tessellated, the adjacency information is read from the data structure and used to achieve tessellation without cracks. In one embodiment, visible cracks due to T-vertices are prevented by forming an overlap of adjacent regions at the location of each T-vertex. This technique allows regions to be tessellated and rendered without any advance knowledge of how the adjacent regions will be split. The regions may be tessellated and rendered separately and in any order, reducing time and memory requirments for rendering.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.