Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Computing the Approximate Visibility Map, with Applications to Form Factors and Discontinuity Meshing

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Rendering Techniques ’98 (EGSR 1998)

Part of the book series: Eurographics ((EUROGRAPH))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

This paper describes a robust, hardware-accelerated algorithm to compute an approximate visibility map, which describes the visible scene from a particular viewpoint. The user can control the degree of approximation, choosing more accuracy at the cost of increased execution time. The algorithm exploits item buffer hardware to coarsely determine visibility, which is later refined. The paper also describes a conceptually simple algorithm to compute a subset of the discontinuity mesh using the visibility map.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. H. Weghorst, G. Cooper, and D. Greenberg, “Improved computational methods for ray tracing”, ACM Transactions on Graphics, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 52–69, Jan. 1984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. G. S. Watkins, “A real-time visible surface algorithm”, Report UTEC-CS-70-101, Dept. Comput. Sci., Univ. Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  3. P. Atherton, K. Weiler, and D. Greenberg, “Polygon shadow generation”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH), 1978, pp. 275–281.

    Google Scholar 

  4. H. Fuchs, Z. M. Kedem, and B. Naylor, “On visible surface generation by a priori tree structures”, Comput. Graph., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 124–133, 1980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. K. Mulmuley, “An efficient algorithm for hidden surface removal”, Comput. Graph., vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 379–388, 1989.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. M. McKenna, “Worst-case optimal hidden-surface removal”, ACM Trans. Graph., vol. 6, pp. 19–28, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. E. Catmull, A subdivision algorithm for computer display of curved surfaces, Ph.d. thesis, Computer Science Department, University of Utah, 1974, Report UTEC-CSc-74-133.

    Google Scholar 

  8. M. F. Cohen and D. P. Greenberg, “The Hemi-Cube: A radiosity solution for complex environments”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH’ 85 Proceedings), B. A. Barsky, Ed., August 1985, vol. 19, pp. 31–40.

    Google Scholar 

  9. J. R. Wallace, K. A. Elmquist, and E. A. Haines, “A ray tracing algorithm for progressive radiosity”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH’ 89 Proceedings), Jeffrey Lane, Ed., July 1989, vol. 23, pp. 315–324.

    Google Scholar 

  10. P. Schroder, “Numerical integration for radiosity in the presence of singularities”, in Proceedings of the Fifth Eurographics Workshop on Rendering, 1993, pp. 177–184.

    Google Scholar 

  11. A. T. Campbell and D. S. Fussell, “Adaptive mesh generation for global diffuse illumination”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH), 1990, pp. 155–164.

    Google Scholar 

  12. P. Heckbert, Simulating Global Illumination Using Adaptive Meshing, Ph.D. thesis, CS Division (EECS), Univ. of California, Berkeley, June 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  13. D. Lischinski, F. Tampieri, and D. P. Greenberg, “Discontinuity meshing for accurate radiosity”, IEEE Computer Graphics Graphics & Applications, pp. 25–39, November 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  14. D. Lischinski, F. Tampieri, and D. P. Greenberg, “Combining hierarchical radiosity and discontinuity meshing”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH’ 93 Proceedings), 1993, pp. 199–208.

    Google Scholar 

  15. G. Drettakis and E. Fiume, “A fast shadow algorithm for area light sources using backprojection”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH), 1994, pp. 199–208.

    Google Scholar 

  16. F. Durand, G. Drettakis, and C. Puech, “The Visibility Skeleton: A powerful and efficient multi-purpose global visibility tool”, in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH), 1997, pp. 89–100.

    Google Scholar 

  17. G. Drettakis, Structured sampling and reconstruction of illumination for image synthesis, Ph.D. thesis, Computer Science Department, University of Toronto, January 1994.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dynamic Graphics Project Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada

    A. James Stewart & Tasso Karkanis

Authors
  1. A. James Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tasso Karkanis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. INRIA, Grenoble, France

    George Drettakis

  2. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, USA

    Nelson Max

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Wien

About this paper

Cite this paper

Stewart, A.J., Karkanis, T. (1998). Computing the Approximate Visibility Map, with Applications to Form Factors and Discontinuity Meshing. In: Drettakis, G., Max, N. (eds) Rendering Techniques ’98. EGSR 1998. Eurographics. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6453-2_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6453-2_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-83213-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-6453-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation