Rasterization is the process of converting 3D geometry — typically triangles — into the 2D grid of pixels shown on screen. For each triangle, the renderer determines which pixels it covers and computes their color, depth, and shading.
It is the dominant real-time rendering technique because it is fast and maps efficiently onto GPU hardware, powering most games and interactive 3D on the web through APIs like WebGL and WebGPU. It contrasts with ray tracing, which simulates light paths for higher realism at greater cost.
WebGL — A browser API built on rasterization.
WebGPU — The modern successor for GPU rendering on the web.
Photoreal rendering — Higher-realism techniques beyond rasterization.
Streaming video reshaped media consumption; we're doing the same for 3D. Join a small team solving tough spatial streaming, content delivery, and developer experience challenges.
Technical deep-dives on adaptive spatial streaming, the infrastructure challenges of 3D at scale, and what we're learning as we build. Written by the team doing the work.
