OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL, Version 4.3, Eighth Edition

Antialiasing Procedural Textures

Jaggies, popping, sparkling, stair steps, strobing, and marching ants. They’re all names used to describe the anathema of computer graphics—aliasing. Anyone who has used a computer has seen it. For still images, it’s not always that noticeable or objectionable. But as soon as you put an object in motion, the movement of the jagged edges catches your eye and distracts you. From the early days of computer graphics, the fight to eliminate these nasty artifacts has been called antialiasing.

This section introduces the main reasons aliasing occurs, techniques to avoid it, and the facilities within the OpenGL Shading Language to help with antialiasing. Armed with this knowledge, you should be well on your way to fighting ...