Bouville, C.Brusq, R.Dubois, J.L.Marchal, I.2014-10-142014-10-1419851467-8659https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8659.1985.tb00198.xRay-casting techniques provide a very general framework in which many problems can be solved in a much easier way than with conventional methods. This is particularly true for the illumination model when a high level of realism is required. Another interesting feature of ray-casting is its ability to display a wide class of algebraic surfaces with a minimum of approximation. Both aspects are developed in this paper where a full lighting model, based on a theoretical approach, is presented. Then, an algorithm for the display of surfaces of revolution is described.Computation time is the major drawback of ray-tracing. Special purpose parallel processors seem to offer a good price/performance ratio compared to the use of supercomputers.10.1111/j.1467-8659.1985.tb00198.x87-99