The authors present a fairly in-depth survey of texture mapping. They review the traditional techniques used in the past ten years in geometric engines and visual simulators. They also cover the different variations that expand on the basic techniques in order to achieve realistic rendering. The paper is more of a resource survey, with a long list of references, than it is an in-depth analysis that will help readers to implement a specific method. Its real value is in its wide coverage of techniques, with discussion of their specific fields of application, advantages, and drawbacks. In this sense, the paper can serve as a starting point for selection of the best approach to a particular problem.

The authors emphasize image perspective transform (IPT), a technique that maps a large image texture (such as a photograph) onto geometric objects and respects the perspective transformation applied in the process. Several tables clarify the main points that differentiate the various techniques and provide the key transformation equations readers will encounter in traditional texture mapping techniques. Several pictures and figures illustrate the rendering techniques used, and numerous references to existing equipment help place the different efforts on a time and application spectrum. The authors also present both real-time and non-real-time IPT systems.

This is a good reference for anyone who wants to learn about the techniques available today for mapping textures (either computer-generated or derived from the real world) onto geometric data. It also traces the history and evolution of texture mapping.