Previewing techniques in raster graphics

The long processing times inherent in the use of raster graphics techniques for the shading of complex scenes, complicate the design and debugging of a picture. The efficiency of the picture-generating process can, however, be improved by adding several interactive facilities to the system. In particular, fast previewing techniques are valuable for checking the modeling and for getting a good impression in an early stage of the picture-definition process. A discussion of raster graphics system design is followed by examples of fast pre-viewing techniques for the shading and texture mapping of surface models and for the shading of solid models using a raycasting technique.