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A clipping path (or "deep etch") is a closed vector path, or shape, used to cut out a 2D image in image editing software. Anything inside the path will be included after the clipping path is applied; anything outside the path will be omitted from the output. Applying the clipping path results in a hard (aliased) or soft (anti-aliased) edge, depending on the image editor's capabilities
By convention, the inside of the path is defined by its direction. Reversing the direction of a path reverses what is considered inside or outside. An ''inclusive path'' is one where what is visually "inside" the path corresponds to what will be preserved; an ''exclusive path'', of opposite direction, contains what is visually "outside" the path. By convention, a clockwise path that is non-self-intersecting is considered inclusive.
A compound path results from the combination of multiple paths (inclusive and exclusive) and the Boolean operations that ultimately determine what the combined path contains. For instance, an inclusive path which contains a smaller exclusive path results in a shape with a "hole" (defined by the exclusive path).
One common use of a clipping path is to cull objects that do not need to be rendered because they are outside the user's viewport or obscured by display elements (such as a HUD).
By convention, the inside of the path is defined by its direction. Reversing the direction of a path reverses what is considered inside or outside. An ''inclusive path'' is one where what is visually "inside" the path corresponds to what will be preserved; an ''exclusive path'', of opposite direction, contains what is visually "outside" the path. By convention, a clockwise path that is non-self-intersecting is considered inclusive.
A compound path results from the combination of multiple paths (inclusive and exclusive) and the Boolean operations that ultimately determine what the combined path contains. For instance, an inclusive path which contains a smaller exclusive path results in a shape with a "hole" (defined by the exclusive path).
One common use of a clipping path is to cull objects that do not need to be rendered because they are outside the user's viewport or obscured by display elements (such as a HUD).
In 3D graphics
Clipping planes are used in3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for t ...
in order to prevent the renderer from calculating surfaces at an extreme distance from the viewer. The plane is perpendicular to the camera
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
, a set distance away (the ''threshold''), and occupies the entire viewport. Used in real-time rendering, clipping planes can help preserve processing for objects within clear sight.
The use of clipping planes can result in a detraction from the realism of a scene, as the viewer may notice that everything at the threshold is not rendered correctly or seems to (dis)appear spontaneously. The addition of ''fog''—a variably transparent region of color or texture just before the clipping plane—can help soften the transition between what s