new techniques for ray tracing procedurally defined objects
We present new algorithms for efficient ray tracing of three procedurally defined objects: fractal surfaces, prisms, and surfaces of revolution. The fractal surface algorithm performs recursive subdivision adaptively. Subsurfaces which cannot intersect a given ray are culled from further consideration. The prism algorithm transforms the three dimensional ray-surface intersection problem into a two dimensional ray-curve intersection problem, which is solved by the method of strip trees. The surface of revolution algorithm transforms the three dimensional ray-surface intersection problem into a two dimensional curve-curve intersection problem, which again is solved by strip trees.
ray tracing object algorithm efficiency fractal surfaces fractal surface surfaces of revolution recursion subdivision intersection transformation method strip trees trees procedural modelling stochastic models computer graphics raster graphics