Using Distance Fields for Object Representation and Rendering

M. W. Jones and R. Satherley

Abstract

Distance fields are a two- or three-dimensional array of values, where each value is the minimum distance to the encoded object. Usually distance fields are signed, such that negative values signify the point is inside the object, and positive are outside. Distance fields are becoming a popular research area as more applications are discovered, and many of these application areas are discussed in this report. More importantly, algorithms for computing distance fields quickly are also examined. Both existing algorithms, and those developed by ourselves at Swansea are discussed.

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Citation

M. W. Jones and R. Satherley, Using Distance Fields for Object Representation and Rendering, In Proc. 19th Ann. Conf. of Eurographics (UK Chapter), London 2001, 37-44.

BibTeX

@INPROCEEDINGS{Object_Representation_DFs,
  author = {M. W. Jones and R. Satherley},
  title = {Using Distance Fields for Object Representation and Rendering},
  booktitle = {19th Ann. Conf. of Eurographics (UK Chapter), London},
  year = {2001},
  pages = {37--44},
  isbn = {0-9540321-0-1},
  owner = {Mark},
}