Chapter 11

Interactions in 3D

The tools of points, lines, and planes are our most basic 3D geometry building blocks. But in order to build real objects, we must be able to compute with these building blocks. For example, if we are given a plane and a straight line, we would be interested in the intersection of those two objects. This chapter outlines the basic algorithms for these types of problems. The ray traced image of Figure 11.1 was generated by using the tools developed in this chapter.1

Figure 11.1

Figure showing ray tracing: 3D intersections are a key element of rendering a ray-traced image. (Courtesy of Ben Steinberg, Arizona State University.)

Ray tracing: 3D intersections are a key element of rendering a ray-traced image. (Courtesy of Ben Steinberg, Arizona State University.)

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