VERTEX REPRESENTATIONS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN COMPUTER-GRAPHICS

We present the vertex representation, a new data structure for represe nting and manipulating orthogonal objects. Both interiors and boundari es of regions are represented implicitly and uniquely with the aid of a single vertex that is the tip of an infinite cone. Vertex representa tions deal with scalar fields, not solids. Algorithms are given for ge nerating vertex representation models for primitive solids, performing affine transformations, set-theoretic operations, and displaying vert ex representation models. The primitive unit is switched to being a on e-dimensional vertex list rather than a two-dimensional vertex list, t he original formulation of the representation. The vertex representati on requires less space than other current methods, and unlike octrees, its space requirements are not sensitive to translation. The algorith ms are illustrated via screen shots.