Data visualization using a general-purpose renderer

This paper describes a general approach to data visualization, based on the Rendering Subroutine Package (RSP). (RSP) is a general-purpose polygon-based renderer, and is IBM's first rendering application programming interface (API) for users who wish to develop their own applications. We present an overview of the system, details of the image synthesis tools, and several examples of the application of RSP to architectural CAD, molecular graphics, and computer tomography.