Polygons are used in
computer graphics to compose images that are
three-dimensional in appearance.
[
]
Usually (but not always) triangular,
polygons arise when an object's surface is modeled, vertices are selected, and the object is
rendered in a
wire frame model. This is quicker to display than a shaded model; thus the polygons are a stage in
computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
. The ''polygon count'' refers to the number of polygons being rendered per
frame.
Beginning with the
fifth generation of video game consoles, the use of polygons became more common, and with each succeeding generation, polygonal models became increasingly complex.
Competing methods for rendering polygons that avoid seams
*
Point
**
Floating Point
**
Fixed-Point
**
Polygon
**because of
rounding, every
scanline has its own direction in space and may show its front or back side to the viewer.
*
Fraction (mathematics)
**
Bresenham's line algorithm
**Polygons have to be split into
triangles
**The whole triangle shows the same side to the viewer
**The
point numbers from the
Transform and lighting stage have to converted to
Fraction (mathematics)
*
Barycentric coordinates (mathematics)
**Used in
raytracing
See also
*
Low poly
*
Polygon, for general polygon information
*
Polygon mesh, for polygon object representation
*
Polygon modeling
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polygon (Computer Graphics)
3D computer graphics