A 3-dimensional representation for fast rendering of complex scenes
Steven M. Rubin, Turner Whitted · 1980
Hierarchical representations of 3-dimensional objects are both time and space efficient. They typically consist of trees whose branches represent bounding volumes and whose terminal nodes represent primitive object elements (usually polygons). This paper describes a method whereby the object space is represented entirely by a hierarchical data structure consisting of bounding volumes, with no other form of representation. This homogencity allows the visible surface rendering to be performed simply and efficiently.