Preserving Image Quality in Decimated 3D Graphics via Surface Normal Retention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-resolution 3D images and images in general have large file sizes, leading to increased transfer and processing times, and image decimation reduces quality by removing data, causing abrupt lighting and color transitions on curved surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A graphics system that retains surface normals of removed image primitives during decimation and merges them with neighboring primitives, allowing for accurate relighting and maintaining smooth lighting and color transitions in the decimated image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If image decimation is performed to reduce file size, then file size is reduced and transfer time is decreased, but image quality deteriorates with abrupt lighting and color transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and preserves surface normal information from removed primitives during decimation. By separating this critical geometric data from the primitive structure itself and storing it independently, the system can discard primitives while retaining the lighting information needed to maintain image quality in the decimated representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces surface normal information as an intermediary element that mediates between the reduced primitive set and the original lighting characteristics. This intermediary data allows the rendering system to reconstruct accurate lighting and color transitions on decimated surfaces without requiring the original high-density primitive structure.
2Productivity
If primitives are removed during decimation to reduce data amount, then processing time is reduced, but lighting accuracy deteriorates with greater reflection angles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary extraction and preservation of surface normal information before decimation occurs. By preparing this lighting-critical data in advance and associating it with remaining primitives, the system ensures that lighting accuracy is maintained throughout the decimation process and during subsequent rendering operations.
3Quantity of substance
If fewer primitives are used to represent curved surfaces, then file size is reduced, but color transition smoothness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of surface normal information from removed primitives and attaches it to neighboring retained primitives. This copying mechanism allows the decimated surface to inherit the lighting characteristics of the original high-resolution surface, maintaining smooth color transitions despite having fewer primitives to represent the curved geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a graphics system and associated methods for preserving or improving image quality when rendering a decimated image or three-dimensional (“3D”) that has been decimated to remove some primitives from the original representation of the undecimated image or 3D model. The graphics system receives decimated primitives that are defined with a position, visual characteristics, and at least first and second surface normals. The graphics system defines a light source for illuminating the decimated primitives, determines that the second surface normal of a particular decimated primitive receives more light from the light source than the first surface normal of the particular decimated primitive, and generates a visualization for the particular primitive at the position of the particular primitive with the visual characteristics of the particular primitive adjusted according to an amount of light from the light source reaching the particular primitive via the second surface normal.