Sphere Tracing

Computer Graphics · Geometry and Intersection · 1996 · sphere-tracing.yaml

Marches along a ray by exactly the distance value at each point, which can never overshoot the surface. Renders implicit geometry without ever tessellating it.

• supersedescorrects · extends
• classifiesspecializes · part-of
• substitutes forapproximates · alternative-to
• depends onrequires · validates

Colour is the family; a dashed line is the second member of it.

This node

• requiresdoes not work without Signed Distance Fieldthe step length is the distance value itself

Referenced by

• alternative-toMarching Cubes is a competing approach to thisconverts the field to triangles instead of tracing it

References

• Sphere Tracing: A Geometric Method for the Antialiased Ray Tracing of Implicit Surfaces — Hart — 1996 · link
• Background — Ray marching on Wikipedia