PS3D - Polygon Subdivision PS3D - PlayBASIC Devlog
In this PlayBASIC development update, we take a deep dive into the latest polygon subdivision experiments inside the PS3D software rendering engine. This tech demo showcases adaptive quad subdivision, near-plane clipping improvements, affine texture mapping, filtered triangles, and transparent rendering running entirely in software.
The new subdivision system dynamically increases polygon detail based on camera distance and face orientation, dramatically improving image quality for close-up geometry without requiring full perspective-correct texture mapping. Instead of relying purely on traditional affine textured triangles, PS3D subdivides quads into smaller faces to better approximate perspective, reducing the heavy distortion commonly seen near the camera.
This video also explores:
The demo scene renders thousands of transparent objects while visualizing subdivision levels and clipping behavior in real time. The green wireframe overlays reveal how faces are broken down and processed internally by the renderer.
PS3D remains a fully software-driven 3D engine written in PlayBASIC, focused on experimentation with classic rendering techniques, optimization strategies, and retro-inspired graphics programming.
