ABSTRACT
Distance fields have many applications in image processing, real-time rendering, and path-finding algorithms. Loosely speaking, a distance field is a grayscale bitmap in which each pixel’s intensity represents the distance to the nearest contour line in a source image (see Figure 1.1). The source image often consists of monochrome vector art or text. Distance fields can also be defined in higher dimensions-in the 3D case, the value at each voxel represents distance to the nearest surface. When extended to 3D, many more applications come into play, including facilitation of ray casting and collision detection.
