Blinn, J. F.

A generalization of algebraic surface drawing

An implicit surface mathematical description of three-dimensional space is defined in terms of all points which satisfy some equation F(x, y, z) equals 0. This form is ideal for space-shaded picture drawing, where the coordinates are substituted for x and y and the equation is solved for z. A new algorithm is presented which is applicable to functional forms other than those of first- and second-order polynomial functions, such as the summation of several Gaussian density distributions. The algorithm was created in order to model electron density maps of molecular structures, but is shown to be capable of generating shapes of esthetic interest.