Texture Mapping with Vector Graphics: A Nested Mipmapping Solution

Texture mapping with vector graphics, rather than raster graphics generates better rendering quality. This paper discusses a fully developed approach of texture mapping 3D objects with vector graphics. First, the vector graphics is rendered to generate the corresponding raster graphics, which is temporarily stored in the back framebuffer. Then, using the newly generated raster graphics, a pyramid of mipmap (LOD) images are dynamically generated and maintained. Finally, a “nested dynamic mipmapping” mechanism is applied to pick the right image to achieve the best resolution during rendering. VTexturer, was developed to test and evaluate the proposed approach. The system runs on the regular PCs with the MS Windows operating system, and is capable of using vector graphics in .wmf or .emf format to texture map grid or TIN based 3D objects. The experimental results show that our approach maintains good rendering performance and yields very satisfied results.