Suppression of Hidden Lines and Surfaces

Abstract

The images that appear on our display screen till now are known as wire frame images. They are ‘empty’, consisting entirely of edge boundaries, and are therefore completely transparent, as if constructed by twisting a piece of wire. A change in viewpoint alters the image, yet all of the sides of the object are visible. When more complex shapes are displayed, the projected image soon becomes a confusing collection of line segments. There is no easy way of deciding which are the front or the back facets.