Volumetric Textures

There are some types of nature elements that are adequately represented in Computer Graphics only through volumes. In order to visualize scenes with volumes, together with geometrical objects, it is necessary to make use of a hybrid rendering algorithm. However, the presence of volumetric elements heavily increases the visualization processing time, independently of the technique being used. This article presents a method that reduces the volumetric rendering to a projection of a special texture on a geometric surface that involves the volume. This technique is particularly efficient to volumes that represent nature elements, such as gases, clouds, smoke and leaves. It is possible, however, to extend the method to other types of volumetric objects.