Occlusion Culling
Occlusion culling is a rendering optimization technique in computer graphics that identifies and excludes objects from the rendering pipeline when they are not visible to the camera because they are hidden behind other objects. It reduces the computational load by avoiding unnecessary processing of occluded geometry, improving performance in real-time applications like video games and simulations. This technique is particularly effective in complex 3D scenes with many overlapping objects.
Developers should learn and use occlusion culling when building performance-critical 3D applications, such as video games, virtual reality experiences, or architectural visualizations, to handle large scenes efficiently. It is essential for maintaining high frame rates by minimizing draw calls and GPU workload, especially on platforms with limited resources like mobile devices or consoles. Use cases include open-world games with dense environments, where only a fraction of objects are visible at any time.