Topic
Software rendering
About: Software rendering is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2902 publications have been published within this topic receiving 73231 citations.
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TL;DR: Raster3D is discussed, which is a suite of programs for molecular graphics, which must compromise the quality of rendered images to achieve rendering speeds high enough for useful interactive manipulation of three-dimensional objects.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Raster3D, which is a suite of programs for molecular graphics. Crystallographers were among the first and most avid consumers of graphics workstations. Rapid advances in computer hardware, and particularly in the power of specialized computer graphics boards, have led to successive generations of personal workstations with ever more impressive capabilities for interactive molecular graphics. For many years, it was standard practice in crystallography laboratories to prepare figures by photographing directly from the workstation screen. No matter how beautiful the image on the screen, however, this approach suffers from several intrinsic limitations. Among these is the inherent limitation imposed by the effective resolution of the screen. Use of the graphics hardware in a workstation to generate images for later presentation can also impose other limitations. Designers of workstation hardware must compromise the quality of rendered images to achieve rendering speeds high enough for useful interactive manipulation of three-dimensional objects.
3,735 citations
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01 Oct 2002-International Journal of Human-computer Studies \/ International Journal of Man-machine Studies
TL;DR: In cases where animated graphics seem superior to static ones, scrutiny reveals lack of equivalence between animated and static graphics in content or procedures; the animated graphics convey more information or involve interactivity.
Abstract: Graphics have been used since ancient times to portray things that are inherently spatiovisual, like maps and building plans. More recently, graphics have been used to portray things that are metaphorically spatiovisual, like graphs and organizational charts. The assumption is that graphics can facilitate comprehension, learning, memory, communication and inference. Assumptions aside, research on static graphics has shown that only carefully designed and appropriate graphics prove to be beneficial for conveying complex systems. Effective graphics conform to the Congruence Principle according to which the content and format of the graphic should correspond to the content and format of the concepts to be conveyed. From this, it follows that animated graphics should be effective in portraying change over time. Yet the research on the efficacy of animated over static graphics is not encouraging. In cases where animated graphics seem superior to static ones, scrutiny reveals lack of equivalence between animated and static graphics in content or procedures; the animated graphics convey more information or involve interactivity. Animations of events may be ineffective because animations violate the second principle of good graphics, the Apprehension Principle, according to which graphics should be accurately perceived and appropriately conceived. Animations are often too complex or too fast to be accurately perceived. Moreover, many continuous events are conceived of as sequences of discrete steps. Judicious use of interactivity may overcome both these disadvantages. Animations may be more effective than comparable static graphics in situations other than conveying complex systems, for example, for real time reorientations in time and space.
1,647 citations
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28 Sep 2004
TL;DR: Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation, Third Edition, describes both the mathematical theory behind a modern photorealistic rendering system and its practical implementation through a method known as 'literate programming', which serves as an essential resource on physically-based rendering.
Abstract: Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation, Third Edition, describes both the mathematical theory behind a modern photorealistic rendering system and its practical implementation. Through a method known as 'literate programming', the authors combine human-readable documentation and source code into a single reference that is specifically designed to aid comprehension. The result is a stunning achievement in graphics education. Through the ideas and software in this book, users will learn to design and employ a fully-featured rendering system for creating stunning imagery. This completely updated and revised edition includes new coverage on ray-tracing hair and curves primitives, numerical precision issues with ray tracing, LBVHs, realistic camera models, the measurement equation, and much more. It is a must-have, full color resource on physically-based rendering. Presents up-to-date revisions of the seminal reference on rendering, including new sections on bidirectional path tracing, numerical robustness issues in ray tracing, realistic camera models, and subsurface scattering Provides the source code fora complete rendering systemallowing readers to get up and running fast Includes a unique indexing feature, literate programming, that lists the locations of each function, variable, and method on the page where they are first describedServes as an essential resource on physically-based rendering
1,612 citations
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01 Aug 2001TL;DR: An image based rendering approach that generalizes many current imagebased rendering algorithms, including light field rendering and view-dependent texture mapping, that allows for lumigraph-style rendering from a set of input cameras in arbitrary configurations.
Abstract: We describe an image based rendering approach that generalizes many current image based rendering algorithms, including light field rendering and view-dependent texture mapping. In particular, it allows for lumigraph-style rendering from a set of input cameras in arbitrary configurations (i.e., not restricted to a plane or to any specific manifold). In the case of regular and planar input camera positions, our algorithm reduces to a typical lumigraph approach. When presented with fewer cameras and good approximate geometry, our algorithm behaves like view-dependent texture mapping. The algorithm achieves this flexibility because it is designed to meet a set of specific goals that we describe. We demonstrate this flexibility with a variety of examples.
984 citations
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22 Oct 2003
TL;DR: This paper describes volume ray-casting on programmable graphics hardware as an alternative to object-order approaches, and exploits the early z-test to terminate fragment processing once sufficient opacity has been accumulated, and to skip empty space along the rays of sight.
Abstract: Nowadays, direct volume rendering via 3D textures has positioned itself as an efficient tool for the display and visual analysis of volumetric scalar fields. It is commonly accepted, that for reasonably sized data sets appropriate quality at interactive rates can be achieved by means of this technique. However, despite these benefits one important issue has received little attention throughout the ongoing discussion of texture based volume rendering: the integration of acceleration techniques to reduce per-fragment operations. In this paper, we address the integration of early ray termination and empty-space skipping into texture based volume rendering on graphical processing units (GPU). Therefore, we describe volume ray-casting on programmable graphics hardware as an alternative to object-order approaches. We exploit the early z-test to terminate fragment processing once sufficient opacity has been accumulated, and to skip empty space along the rays of sight. We demonstrate performance gains up to a factor of 3 for typical renditions of volumetric data sets on the ATI 9700 graphics card.
885 citations