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Voxel Space

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Why This Matters

The Voxel Space rendering technique, introduced in the early 1990s, revolutionized terrain visualization in video games by enabling detailed and shaded landscapes using simple height and color maps. Its innovative approach laid the groundwork for more efficient rendering methods, influencing modern graphics engines and real-time visualization tools. Understanding this technology highlights the evolution of game graphics and the importance of optimized algorithms in delivering immersive experiences to consumers.

Key Takeaways

Voxel Space

History

Let us go back to the year 1992. The CPUs were 1000 times slower than today and the acceleration via a GPU was unknown or unaffordable. 3D games were calculated exclusively on the CPU and the rendering engine rendered filled polygons with a single color.

Game Gunship 2000 published by MicroProse in 1991

It was during that year NovaLogic published the game Comanche.

Game Comanche published by NovaLogic in 1992

The graphics were breathtaking for the time being and in my opinion 3 years ahead of its time. You see many more details such as textures on mountains and valleys, and for the first time a neat shading and even shadows. Sure, it’s pixelated, but all games in those years were pixelated.

Render algorithm

Comanche uses a technique called Voxel Space, which is based on the same ideas like ray casting. Hence the Voxel Space engine is a 2.5D engine, it doesn’t have all the levels of freedom that a regular 3D engine offers.

Height map and color map

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