User:Sleap/Deep Image (computer graphics)
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Deep Images (also deep buffers), unlike regular 2D raster images, store multiple values per-pixel and include depth or distance to provide 3D information. Direct uses of deep image data include deep image compositing and commonly real-time graphics applications such as order-independent transparency.
Description
A typical 2D raster image may store red/green/blue colour values per-pixel. In 3D graphics, a framebuffer stores the result of a render, commonly including colour and depth. Together, colour and depth may provide just the front-most visible surface information from a scene. A deep image, or deep buffer in this case, stores multiple colour and depth values per-pixel. This provides information for complex image space effects, which would not be possible or would be inaccurate without.