Scan converting spirals

Scan-conversion of Archimedes' spiral (a straight line in polar coordinates) is investigated. It is shown that an exact algorithm requires transcendental functions and, thus, cannot have a fast and exact integer implementation. Piecewise polynomial approximations are discussed and a simple algorithm based on piecewise circular approximation is derived. Variations of the algorithms allow to scan convert other types of spirals

Scan Converting Spirals

Scan-conversion of Archimedes ' spiral (a straight line in polar coordinates) is investigated. It is shown that an exact algorithm requires transcendental functions and, thus, cannot have a fast and exact integer implementation. Piecewise polynomial approximations are discussed and a simple algorithm based on piecewise circular approximation is derived. Variations of the algorithms allow to scan convert other types of spirals