Quasi-Linear Depth Buffers With Variable Resolution

dc.contributor.authorLapidous, Eugeneen_US
dc.contributor.authorJiao, Guofangen_US
dc.contributor.authorZhang, Jianboen_US
dc.contributor.authorWilson, Timothyen_US
dc.contributor.editorKurt Akeley and Ulrich Neumannen_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-10-28T09:58:50Z
dc.date.available2013-10-28T09:58:50Z
dc.date.issued2001en_US
dc.description.abstractIn this paper we present new class of variable-resolution depth buffers, providing a flexible trade-off between depth precision in the distant areas of the view volume and performance. These depth buffers can be implemented using linear or quasi-linear mapping function of the distance to the camera to the depth in the screens pace. In particular, the complementary Z buffer algorithm combines simplicity of implementation with significant bandwidth savings. A variable-resolution depth buffer saves bandwidth by changing size of the per-pixel depth access from 24 bits to 16 bits when distance to the pixel from the camera becomes larger than a given threshold, This distance is selected in order to keep the resulting resolution equal or larger than the resolution of the 24-bit screen Z buffer. For dynamic ratios of the distances between far and near planes 500 and above, bandwidth savings may exceed 20%. Quasi-linear depth floating-point depth buffers are best at high dynamic ratios; 3D hardware should support per-frame setting of the optimal depth buffer type and format. Per-frame adjustment of the resolution switch distance allows balancing performance with depth precision and should be exposed in the graphics A PI.en_US
dc.description.seriesinformationEurographics/SIGGRAPH Graphics Hardware Workshop 2001en_US
dc.identifier.isbn158113407Xen_US
dc.identifier.issn1727-3471en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.2312/EGGH/EGGH01/081-086en_US
dc.publisherThe Eurographics Associationen_US
dc.subjectI.3.1 [Computer Graphics)en_US
dc.subjectHardware Architectureen_US
dc.subjectraster display devicesen_US
dc.subjectI.3.3 [Computer Graphics] Picture/Image Generationen_US
dc.subjectdisplay algorithmsen_US
dc.subjectI.3.7 [Computer Graphics]en_US
dc.subjectThree Dimensional Graphics and Realismen_US
dc.subjectvisible surface algorithms.en_US
dc.titleQuasi-Linear Depth Buffers With Variable Resolutionen_US
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