language: en

[Computer Graphics, Volume 25, Number 4,]

July 1991

Hierarchical Splatting: A Progressive Refinement Algorithm for Volume Rendering

David Laur and Pat Hanrahan
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA

Abstract This paper presents a progressive refinement algorithm for volume rendering which uses a pyramidal volume representation. Besides storing average values, the pyramid stores estimated error, so an oct-tree can be fit to the pyramid given a user-supplied precision. This oct-tree is then drawn using a set of splats, or footprints, each scaled to match the size of the projection of a cell. The splats themselves are approximated with RGBA Gouraud-shaded polygons, so that they can be drawn efficiently on modern graphics workstations. The result is a real-time rendering algorithm suitable for interactive applications.

CR Categories and Subject Descriptors: I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism. Key Words: volume rendering, coherence, progressive refinement, interactive techniques.

1 Introduction