Line clipping

In computer graphics, line clipping is the process of removing (clipping) lines or portions of lines outside an area of interest (a viewport or view volume). Typically, any part of a line which is outside of the viewing area is removed.

There are two common algorithms for line clipping: Cohen–Sutherland and Liang–Barsky.

A line-clipping method consists of various parts. Tests are conducted on a given line segment to find out whether it lies outside the view area or volume. Then, intersection calculations are carried out with one or more clipping boundaries. Determining which portion of the line is inside or outside of the clipping volume is done by processing the endpoints of the line with regards to the intersection.