An analytic visible surface algorithm for independent pixel processing

Abstract

An algorithm is presented that solves the visible surface problem at each pixel independently. This allows motion blur and depth of field blurring to be integrated into the algorithm. It also allows parallel processing. The algorithm works on large numbers of polygons. An analytic Gaussian filter is used. The filter can be elongated or scaled differently for each polygon to adjust for its speed or distance from the focal plane. This is achieved by shrinking or scaling the polygon prior to solving the hidden surface problem so that blurring is correctly presented when objects obscure each other.