Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Rasterization: Z-Buffer Quiz

In course

CS-341: Computer graphics

The students study and apply fundamental concepts and algorithms of computer graphics for rendering, geometry synthesis, and animation. They design and implement their own interactive graphics programs. ...

Description

This lecture covers the concept of Z-Buffer and its role in the rasterization pipeline, discussing how quantization of z-values affects visibility inside the view volume, the precision of the depth buffer, and the comparison between rasterization and ray tracing.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Mark Pauly

Mark Pauly is a full professor at the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at EPFL. Prior to joining EPFL, he was assistant professor at the CS department of ETH Zurich since April 2005. From August 2003 to March 2005 he was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, where he also held a position as visiting assistant professor during the summer of 2005. He received his Ph.D. degree (with distinction) in 2003 from ETH Zurich and his M.S. degree (with highest honors) in 1999 from TU Kaiserslautern. His research interests include computer graphics and animation, shape modeling and analysis, geometry processing, architectural geometry, and digital fabrication. He received the ETH medal for outstanding dissertation, was awarded the Eurographics Young Researcher Award in 2006 and the Eurographics Outstanding Technical Contributions Award in 2016.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Computer engineering

Computer graphics: Rendering

Related concepts (28)

Shading

Shading refers to the depiction of depth perception in 3D models (within the field of 3D computer graphics) or illustrations (in visual art) by varying the level of darkness. Shading tries to approximate local behavior of light on the object's surface and is not to be confused with techniques of adding shadows, such as shadow mapping or shadow volumes, which fall under global behavior of light. Shading is used traditionally in drawing for depicting a range of darkness by applying media more densely or with a darker shade for darker areas, and less densely or with a lighter shade for lighter areas.

Rasterisation

In computer graphics, rasterisation (British English) or rasterization (American English) is the task of taking an described in a vector graphics format (shapes) and converting it into a (a series of pixels, dots or lines, which, when displayed together, create the image which was represented via shapes). The rasterized image may then be displayed on a computer display, video display or printer, or stored in a bitmap file format.

Z-buffering

A depth buffer, also known as a z-buffer, is a type of data buffer used in computer graphics to represent depth information of objects in 3D space from a particular perspective. Depth buffers are an aid to rendering a scene to ensure that the correct polygons properly occlude other polygons. Z-buffering was first described in 1974 by Wolfgang Straßer in his PhD thesis on fast algorithms for rendering occluded objects.

Lighting

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. Daylighting (using windows, skylights, or light shelves) is sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. This can save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major component of energy consumption in buildings.

Stage lighting

Stage lighting is the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater, dance, opera, and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in this discipline. In addition to basic lighting, modern stage lighting can also include special effects, such as lasers and fog machines. People who work on stage lighting are commonly referred to as lighting technicians or lighting designers. The equipment used for stage lighting (e.g.

Related lectures (30)

AutoCAD 3D Lighting Basics

Explores AutoCAD 3D lighting basics, including extrusion, rendering, and camera settings.

Lighting and Rendering in Rhino

Explores lighting, rendering, and Vray novelties in Rhino, covering directional, rectangular, and punctual lights.

Rehabilitation of a Public Park: Part 2

Covers the rehabilitation of a public park, including upgrading lighting and creating outdoor spaces.

Lighting Ideas: Inspiring Lamps and Atmospheres

Delves into inspiring lamps and lighting atmospheres, highlighting the evolution of lighting perception and the impact on architectural spaces.

Daylight and Lighting Comfort