Method of displaying geometric object surfaces

Abstract

Geometric surfaces of objects are displayed by a method which generates surface data of at least one object and stores this surface data in a first memory, generates data records for all surface data stored in the first memory and stores these data records in a second memory, generates additional surface data for the representation of object segments with a lower level of detail and stores this additional surface data in the first memory, generates and stores a hierarchical data structure with several data records addressable via pointer addresses to represent one part of the objects surface in the second memory, stores the pointer addresses of the data records stored in the second memory which are not referenced by any pointer addresses stored in other data records, computes in a arithmetic unit a minimum level of detail for representation of the object segment, compares the computed minimum level of detail for each data record whose address is stored in a third memory area with the level of detail stored in the data record, evaluates the results of the comparison for each data record, with the pointer addresses referencing surface data elements of the data records having a stored level of detail which is at least equal to the computed minimum level of detail being copied into a fourth memory area and with the pointer addresses stored in the other data records being copied into said third memory and erasing the pointer addresses referencing the data record from the third memory, and outputting the surface data elements addressed in the fourth memory area to an output device for geometric display of the object.