Date of Award

6-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2026

Department

Computer Science and Engineering

First Advisor

Michael Schimpf

Abstract

This project explores the design and implementation of a 3D rendering system based on triangle sorting, integrated into a simple interactive game environment. The goal of the project is to evaluate whether a triangle-sorting–based renderer can function effectively in real time while maintaining visual correctness and performance.

To test the renderer in a practical setting, it is embedded within a 3D environment that supports camera control and real-time navigation through the rendered scene. The system focuses on real-time navigation, model loading, camera movement, and rendering of a low-poly 3D scene. The use of a low-poly visual style helps reduce computational complexity while still demonstrating the behavior of the rendering pipeline.

The renderer processes geometry by sorting triangles based on depth before rasterization, rather than relying on a traditional Z-buffer. This allows for experimentation with rendering order and transparency handling. The results show that triangle sorting can produce correct and stable visuals in many cases, although challenges remain with overlapping geometry and performance scaling.

Overall, this project demonstrates the feasibility of revisiting triangle-sorting techniques using modern hardware. Future work includes improving performance, refining rendering accuracy, and expanding the interactive environment to further stress-test the system.

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