
CHAPTER 3 ■ WORKING WITH 2D IMAGES/TEXTURES IN XNA 3.0
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3-11. Make Your Scene More Impressive with
Billboarding: Render 2D Images in a 3D World
So They Always Face the Camera
The Problem
To look impressive, a 3D world needs to contain a lot of objects, especially when dealing with
outdoor scenes. For example, you will need hundreds, if not thousands, of trees, or your forest
will not look real. However, it is out of the question that you would render a couple hundred
trees as full 3D models, because this would slow down your application tremendously.
You can also use billboarding in smaller quantities, for example, to render laser beams or ...