Patent ID: 8743114

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: projecting a set of first objects of a 3-dimensional graphics environment to a bounded 2-dimensional image plane of a 3-dimensional view cell relative to a first one of multiple view points of the view cell to provide a 2-dimensional image of each first object relative to the first view point; reducing sizes of the 2-dimensional images of the first objects; generating an occluder map from the reduced-size 2-dimensional images of the first objects; projecting a second object of the 3-dimensional graphics environment to the 2-dimensional image plane relative to the first view point of the view cell to provide a 2-dimensional image of the second object relative to the first view point; identifying the second object as occluded with respect to all view points of the 3-dimensional view cell when pixel depth values of the 2-dimensional image of the second object are greater than corresponding pixel depth values of the occluder map.