Patent ID: 6268860
Filing Date: 2001-07-31
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
An imaging method for displaying computer-modeled objects that are present in the form of a grid model and are simulated by a plurality of adjacent polygon surfaces, comprising the steps of: using a first assembly of a calculation unit to calculate a plurality of first coordinate sets from a first parameter set that respectively represents the spatial position of one of the polygon surfaces, the coordinate sets respectively representing the spatial position of a pixel of the respective polygon surface; using a second assembly of the calculation unit that uses the first parameter set representing the spatial position of the polygon surface to calculate a second coordinate set for each pixel of the polygon surface, which set represents the spatial position and direction of the local surface normal; using a third assembly of the calculation unit that uses a second parameter set representing the spatial position and the optical properties of at least a first light source, as well as the first coordinate sets representing the spatial position of the individual pixels, and the second coordinate sets representing the spatial position of the local surface normals, to calculate image-information values according to a local illumination model, the values representing the image impression of a respective pixel; using a fourth assembly of the calculation unit that uses the first coordinate set representing the spatial position of the respective pixel to calculate a two-dimensional screen-coordinate set for each pixel for display on the screen, which set determines the position of the pixel of the screen; selecting a first portion from all of the pixels of the respective polygon surface, and calculating in the third assembly the image-information values for all of the pixels of the first portion according to the local illumination model or a portion of the local illumination model; and subsequently using in a fifth assembly the image-information values that have been calculated for the first portion of pixels to interpolate the image-information values for a second portion of pixels that includes the remaining pixels of the polygon surface.