Dynamic Occlusion Culling

Visibility computation is one of the fundamental problems in 3D computer graphics, and due to ever-increasing data-sets its relevance is likely to increase. One of the harder problems in visibility is occlusion culling, the process of removing objects that are hidden by other objects from the viewpoint. This paper gives an overview of occlusion culling algorithms and the data structures they operate upon. Special emphasis is given to dynamic occlusion, which enables real-time modification of the scene, and the supporting dynamic data structures. CR Categories: I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation—Viewing algorithms; I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism—Hidden line/surface removal; E.1 [Data]: Data Structures—Trees