Visible Surface Determination

CS418 Computer Graphics

John C. Hart
Painters Algorithm
Display polygons in
back-to-front order
Sort polygons by z-value
Which vertex?
O(n log n)
Problems
-z
Quadtree Algorithm
Sort polygons
Subdivide screen until each region
contains one or zero edges
Invented by John Warnock in 1969
Quadtree Algorithm
Sort polygons
Subdivide screen until each region
contains one or zero edges
Invented by John Warnock in 1969

Quadtree Algorithm
Sort polygons
Subdivide screen until each region
contains one or zero edges
Invented by John Warnock in 1969

Quadtree Algorithm
Sort polygons
Subdivide screen until each region
contains one or zero edges
Invented by John Warnock in 1969

Quadtree Algorithm
Sort polygons
Subdivide screen until each region
contains one or zero edges
Invented by John Warnock in 1969

Z-Buffer
Key Observation: Each pixel displays
color of only one triangle, ignores
everything behind it
Dont need to sort triangles, just find
for each pixel the closest triangle
Z-buffer: one fixed or floating point
value per pixel
Algorithm:
For each rasterized fragment (x,y)
If z > zbuffer(x,y) then
framebuffer(x,y) = fragment color
zbuffer(x,y) = z
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
-far
f
r
a
m
e
b
u
f
f
e
r

z
b
u
f
f
e
r

Z-Buffer
Key Observation: Each pixel displays
color of only one triangle, ignores
everything behind it
Dont need to sort triangles, just find
for each pixel the closest triangle
Z-buffer: one fixed or floating point
value per pixel
Algorithm:
For each rasterized fragment (x,y)
If z > zbuffer(x,y) then
framebuffer(x,y) = fragment color
zbuffer(x,y) = z
-far
-.1
-.2
-.3
-.4
-.5
-.6
-.7
-.8
-far
-far
-far
f
r
a
m
e
b
u
f
f
e
r

z
b
u
f
f
e
r

Z-Buffer
Key Observation: Each pixel displays
color of only one triangle, ignores
everything behind it
Dont need to sort triangles, just find
for each pixel the closest triangle
Z-buffer: one fixed or floating point
value per pixel
Algorithm:
For each rasterized fragment (x,y)
If z > zbuffer(x,y) then
framebuffer(x,y) = fragment color
zbuffer(x,y) = z
-far
-.1
-.2
-.3
-.4
-.3
-.1
-.7
-.8
-far
-far
-far
f
r
a
m
e
b
u
f
f
e
r

z
b
u
f
f
e
r

Z-Buffer
Get fragment z-values by interpolating
z-values at vertices during rasterization

Perspective projection destroys
z-values, setting them all to d

Need a perspective distortion that
preserves at least the ordering of
z-values
-far
-.1
-.2
-.3
-.4
-.3
-.1
-.7
-.8
-far
-far
-far
f
r
a
m
e
b
u
f
f
e
r

z
b
u
f
f
e
r

Normalized View Volume
x
y
z
x
y
z
W2V
(
(
(
(

Model
(
(
(
(

View
(
(
(
(

Persp
(
(
(
(

Model
Coords
World
Coords
Viewing
Coords
Clip
Coords
Screen
Coords
(0,0,-far)
glFrustum(left,right,bottom,top,near,far)
(-1,1,1)
z
1 -1
x
1
-1
y
-1
1
Perspective Projection
screen
-z
y
z
view
y
view
d
y
clip
clip
view
view
view
clip
view
/
y
y
d z
y
y
z d
=

view
view view view
view view view
view
view view
view
/ 1
1
/
1
/ 1/ 0 1
1
x
z d x x
y y y
z d
z z
d z d d
(
(

( ( (
(
( ( (
(
( ( (
=
(

( ( (
(
( ( (
(

(

Perspective Distortion
screen
-z
y
z
view
y
view
1
y
clip
view
clip
view
y
y
z
=

view
view
view view
view
view view
view
view view
view
view
1
1
1 0 1
1
x
z
x x
y
y y
z
z z
z
z
o | o |
|
o
(
(

(
( ( (
(
( ( (
(
( ( (
=
(
+ ( ( (
(
( ( (


(
(
(

Distorted z-Values
view
clip
view
y
y
z
=

view
view
view view
view
view view
view
view view
view
view
1
1
1 0 1
1
x
z
x x
y
y y
z
z z
z
z
o | o |
|
o
(
(

(
( ( (
(
( ( (
(
( ( (
=
(
+ ( ( (
(
( ( (


(
(
(

-z
-o |/z
-o
1/-z curve
z
1
z
2
-o |/z
2
-o |/z
1
if z
1
> z
2
then
-o |/z
1
> -o |/z
2
Normalized Perspective Distortion
2 near right left
right left right left
2 near top bottom
top bottom top bottom
far near 2 far near
far near far near
1 0
+
(
(

(
+
(
(

(
+
(

(

(

x
y
z
x
y
z
(0,0,-far)
(-1,1,1)
z
1 -1
x
1
-1
y
-1
1
Hierarchical Z-Buffer
Invented by Ned Green in 1994
Creates a MIP-map of the z-buffer
z-value equal to farthest z-value of
its four children
Before rasterizing a triangle
Check z-value of its nearest vertex
against z-value of the smallest
quadtree cell containing the triangle
If z-test fails, then the entire
triangle is hidden and need not be
rasterized
Works best when displaying
front-to-back
-.2
-.3
-.4
-.5
-.6
-.7
-.8
-far
f
r
a
m
e
b
u
f
f
e
r

hierarchical zbuffer
-.3
-.5
-.7
-far
-.5
-far
-far