Introduction to 3D Graphics and VRML

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Geometric primitives (cont...)

Spheres

  • Simply center coordinates and a radius
  • Often difficult to render, usually converted into a list of triangles that approximate a sphere
  • Hardware technology exists (e.g. 'Pixel Planes') to draw spheres directly, greatly improving performance

3D Text

Vectors (3D Lines)

Pointlists

  • Group of points
  • Useful for drawing airfield landing lights, for example

Author: Michael Louka (mlouka@sn.no)
Last Updated: 19 November 1996