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The Radon transform is used to take 2d projections of an object and create a 3d representation.

It seems like it would be possible to apply such a transform in 3d graphics in games (although possibly too slow to be practical).

For example, a very simple way to display an object is to use a 3d rectangle and texture map each side. This is relatively fast but the 3d detail is limited. When a side is parallel with the visual plane it will represent the detail 100% (so the visual detail would be limited to that of the texture map). Of course it won't represent external 3d effects properly, like lighting.

But by using the Radon transform one could gain a true 3d approximation of the object from the six textures/projections used. By increasing the number of textures/projections the approximation is better.

I'm curious if the idea has potential. Possibly for high-quality 3d models it might pay off in performance and size. Of course 3d models can be optimized to limit their size which also increases speed but visually doesn't change much.

Archival
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I've been studying the use of OpenGL and DirectX and even though I am at an intermediate level, I believe this is where the use of bump maps, light maps etc comes into play. These are encapsulated in the idea of a Shader. The hardest part about the shader and lighting to work correctly with the 3D object with respect to the angle of the camera view directly depends if your normals are defined correctly. As for what you are describing it does make sense using 3D approximation, however my linear algebra is a little rusty, I am not sure if the conventional 4x4 matrices will work, and when it comes to motion with rotations you might have to redefine your quaternions too.

Francis Cugler
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