Live briefing
Everything about Painter's algorithm
Algorithm for visible surface determination in 3D graphics
The painter's algorithm is an algorithm for visible surface determination in 3D computer graphics that works on a polygon-by-polygon basis rather than a pixel-by-pixel, row by row, or area by area basis of other hidden-surface determination algorithms. The painter's algorithm creates images by sorting the polygons within the image by their depth and placing each polygon in order from the farthest to the closest object. Wikipedia →
🧠Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: Painter's algorithmA 5-minute orientation
- Pick up a classic book: Programming principles in computer graphicsThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: PAINTER: a spatiospectral image reconstruction algorithm for optical interferometryCited 15 times
- Go sideways: Hidden-surface determinationA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Scanline renderingA closely related topic
đź“– Definitions
Proper noun A simple rendering technique that sorts all the polygons in a scene by their depth and then paints them in that order, from farthest to closest.
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
đź“š Books worth reading
Programming principles in computer graphicsL. Ammeraal · 1986
Computational GeometryMark Berg · 1997
Computational GeometryMark Berg · 2000
3D rendering in computer graphicsPatria Dobbins · 2012
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
đź”— Related topics
- Hidden-surface determination In 3D computer graphics, hidden-surface determination (also known as shown-surface determination, hidden-surface removal (HSR), occlusion culling (OC)…
- Scanline rendering Scanline rendering (also scan line rendering and scan-line rendering) is an algorithm for visible surface determination, in 3D computer graphics, that…
- Z-buffering A z-buffer, also known as a depth buffer, is a type of data buffer used in computer graphics to store the depth information of fragments. The values stored…
- A-buffer In computer graphics, A-buffer, also known as anti-aliased, area-averaged or accumulation buffer, is a general hidden surface mechanism suited to medium…
- Glossary of computer graphics This is a glossary of terms relating to computer graphics. For more general computer hardware terms, see glossary of computer hardware terms. Contents…
- Newell's algorithm Newell's Algorithm is a 3D computer graphics procedure for elimination of polygon cycles in the depth sorting required in hidden-surface removal. It was…
- List of computer graphics and descriptive geometry topics This is a list of computer graphics and descriptive geometry topics, by article name. Contents !–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z…
- Rendering (computer graphics) Rendering is the process of generating an image from input data such as 3D models. The word "rendering" (in one of its senses) originally meant the task…