3D scan-conversion algorithms for voxel-based graphics

  • Authors:
  • Arie Kaufman;Eyal Shimony

  • Affiliations:
  • Department of Computer Science, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY;Center of Computer Graphics, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84120, Israel

  • Venue:
  • I3D '86 Proceedings of the 1986 workshop on Interactive 3D graphics
  • Year:
  • 1987

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Abstract

An assortment of algorithms, termed three-dimensional (3D) scan-conversion algorithms, is presented. These algorithms scan-convert 3D geometric objects into their discrete voxel-map representation within a Cubic Frame Buffer (CFB). The geometric objects that are studied here include three-dimensional lines, polygons (optionally filled), polyhedra (optionally filled), cubic parametric curves, bicubic parametric surface patches, circles (optionally filled), and quadratic objects (optionally filled) like those used in constructive solid geometry: cylinders, cones, and spheres.All algorithms presented here do scan-conversion with computational complexity which is linear in the number of voxels written to the CFB. All algorithms are incremental and use only additions, subtractions, tests and simpler operations inside the inner algorithm loops. Since the algorithms are basically sequential, the temporal complexity is also linear. However, the polyhedron-fill and sphere-fill algorithms have less than linear temporal complexity, as they use a mechanism for writing a voxel run into the CFB. The temporal complexity would then be linear with the number of pixels in the object's 2D projection. All algorithms have been implemented as part of the CUBE Architecture, which is a voxel-based system for 3D graphics. The CUBE architecture is also presented.