When it comes to computer graphics, the terms clipping and culling are extremely important. Normal people, on the other hand, may find this term overwhelming.
The distinction between clipping and culling will be discussed in this article. When it comes to framing a video game, the terms have a significant impact.
We will talk about their significance and purpose later in the article.
Key Takeaways
- Clipping is the process of removing the objects outside the viewing frustum, whereas culling is the process of removing the objects outside the screen’s viewable area.
- Clipping is done in the graphics pipeline during the rendering process, whereas culling can be done at different pipeline stages, such as scene graph traversal, rendering, or post-processing.
- Clipping can result in overdraw, which affects performance, whereas culling can improve performance by reducing the number of objects that need to be rendered.
Clipping vs Culling
The difference between clipping and culling is that clipping involves discarding objects that fall outside the frame or clipping window, whereas culling involves discarding objects that are essential to no use within the frame. Examples will be provided later in the article to demonstrate the differences. The two actions have different programming.
Clipping is a technique that allows a computer graphic designer to remove non-essential elements from a frame.
As a result, parts of the image or graphics outside the clipping window are removed, speeding up the rendering process.
Clipping is the term for this procedure. In a graph, the clipping window is defined as the space between two specific points that define the bounds of the object to be clipped.
Conversely, culling is the removal of images or portions of the frame that add no value to the graphics features.
Consider the following scenario: suppose you have a person standing in front of you, guarding a child who is just standing behind him.
We won’t be able to see the kid if we use a camera to record it. The same is true when creating a video graphic.
Culling ensures that no unwanted boxes or shapes in the frame could slow down the rendering process.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Clipping | Culling |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clipping is a method to clip objects outside the clipping window in computer graphics. | Culling is the process to eliminate the hidden objects in computer graphics. |
| Types | Point clipping, line clipping, curve clipping, text clipping, etc. | Occlusion culling, back-face culling, view frustum culling |
| Eliminates objects | Outside the clipping window | Hidden objects inside the camera frame (perspective of the camera) |
| Purpose | Save time | Prevent useless entries within the graphics |
| Range | (Xmin, ymin) to (xmax, ymax) | The range of the camera (the side that can be seen by the camera). |
What is Clipping?
Clipping is a method of removing non-essential elements from a frame by a computer graphic designer.
As a result, parts of the image or graphics that are outside the clipping window are removed, allowing the rendering process to move faster. This procedure is known as clipping.
The clipping window in a graph is defined as the area between two points that define the bounds of the object to be clipped. In computers, graphics clipping plays a vital role in the proper execution of the graphics.
The quality of the game lies in its graphics and effects, and the frame rate can be maximised through clipping. A certain set of algorithms and calculations lies behind the mechanism of clipping.
The budget directly depends on the number of polygons which in turn governs the expenses of the developer.
There are various types of clipping, including point clipping, line clipping, curve clipping, text clipping, and so on. The clipping window specifies the range of images that will be considered while the others will be clipped.
Clipping has the advantage of increasing rendering speed and saving time. Clipping algorithms ensure you get the exact graphics you need while adding value to the game.
What is Culling?
The removal of images or portions of the frame that add no value to the graphics is known as culling. Consider the following scenario: someone stands in front of you, keeping an eye on a child who is only a few feet away.
If we record it with a camera, we won’t be able to see the child. When creating a video graphic, the same principle applies.
Culling ensures that the frame is free of unwanted boxes and shapes that could cause the rendering process to stutter.
The primary goal of culling is to examine surfaces and faces that are masked in the camera’s frame. This means that if you look through the camera, you’ll only see the front face; if it’s hiding something behind it, you won’t notice.
As a result, culling ensures that this does not happen. This is because it saves time; otherwise, processing all of those would take longer.
As a result, it may slow down. The masked shapes or surfaces are detected by the algorithm that is used for culling.
Occlusion culling, back-face culling, and view frustum culling are three different types of culling. As a result, clipping and culling are both important aspects of video game development because graphics are so important in the game.
Main Differences Between Clipping and Culling
- In computer graphics, clipping is the process of clipping objects outside the clipping window, whereas culling is the process of removing hidden objects.
- Clipping techniques include point clipping, line clipping, curve clipping, text clipping, and so on, whereas culling techniques include occlusion culling, back-face culling, and view frustum culling.
- Objects outside the clipping window are removed by clipping, whereas hidden objects within the camera frame are removed by culling (perspective of the camera)
- Clipping is used to save time, whereas culling is used to eliminate unnecessary entries from the graphics.
- The clipping range is (Xmin, ymin) to (xmax, ymax), whereas the culling range is the camera’s range (the side that the camera can see).
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4428836/
- https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/5444/0000/Applied-clipping-based-on-multibounding-types-in-SVRT/10.1117/12.561229.short
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