Raster-scan hidden surface algorithm techniques

Abstract

Two new techniques are presented for reducing the number of depth calculations in hidden surface elimination. Two new algorithms using the techniques are compared with three existing algorithms and it is shown by examples that the new techniques reduce the number of multiplications involved in the depth calculations. A technique for increasing the parallelism of operations is also presented. This allows the calculation to be done more rapidly in hardware and is particularly useful for generating line drawings rather than the usual TV raster scan images in the common raster-scan hidden surface algorithms.