
INTRODUCTION
p
ractitioners of computer graphics have always struggled with the tradeoff be-
tween complexity and performance. Every graphics programmer knows the
tension between realism and speed, between fidelity and frame rate, between rich,
highly detailed graphical worlds and smooth, flowing animation. An entire field has
grown out of this tension. Known as
level of detail,
or
LOD
for short, this discipline
of interactive computer graphics attempts to bridge complexity and performance by
regulating the amount of detail used to represent the virtual world. This book is de-
voted to the field of LODnits mechanisms ...