VLSI perspective of real-time hidden-surface elimination

VLSI (very large-scale integration) technology provides and demands new ways of solving large-scale computational problems. A pipelined version of a real-time hidden surface elimination algorithm is proposed. The approach is tuned to the requirements of the VLSI technology: it is simple and regular, employs only local communication, and attains a high degree of parallelism. The feasibility of the technique is demonstrated for a computer graphics system where objects are defined in terms of planar triangular surface elements. A case is made in terms of early 1980s technology.The use of VLSI will make high-power graphics available to the small user as well as the traditional flight simulator customer. This is achieved by enabling system expansion to take place through the addition of more identical chips. Consequently system cost is linear with respect to the number of chips used, a number determined by the maximum number of rendering elements needed by the specific user application.