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line-intersection

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Aapburnes
Last edited May 25, 2016
Created on May 25, 2016

This interactive visualization demonstrates the Bentley–Ottmann algorithm for finding all intersections in a set of line segments. Users can drag endpoints to reposition lines, click to add new segments, and right-click to remove them. Rather than checking every pair of segments (O(n²) comparisons), the algorithm sweeps a horizontal line from top to bottom, maintaining the left-to-right order of segment intersections with the sweep line in a balanced tree shown on the right. As segments start, end, or cross, only newly adjacent pairs are tested for intersections, reducing the complexity to O(n log n + I log n) for I total intersections. The visualization uses SVG rendering and is implemented with D3.

AI-generated description

The Bentley–Ottmann algorithm finds all the intersections that occur in a set of line segments. Drag the endpoints of the line to move, click to add and right click to remove.

Instead of calculating the intersection of every pair of segments, which would require O(n²) comparisons for a set of n lines, the algorithm uses a sweep line. Starting at the top of the screen and moving down, it keeps track of the order of the lines' x positions at the current y position (represented by the figure on the right). As lines start, end or intersect, new pairs of lines become adjacent in the x ordering and are checked for intersections.

A set of lines with I intersections ends up only requiring O(n log n + I log n) operations. Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications, chapter 2 has a proof and a more detailed explanation.

forked from <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/1wheel/'>1wheel</a>'s block: <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/1wheel/464141fe9b940153e636'>line-intersection</a>

forked from <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/'>apburnes</a>'s block: <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/68f69b32d86f6d987ddfd0e2c48d2872'>line-intersection</a>

forked from <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/'>apburnes</a>'s block: <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/c0d53f70215d4a49a200d24a5c0e6b3a'>line-intersection</a>

forked from <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/'>apburnes</a>'s block: <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/42118e82a0756867276c9afe5567e0c5'>line-intersection</a>

forked from <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/'>apburnes</a>'s block: <a href='http://bl.ocks.org/apburnes/70b94260e227098fcca7caa069768655'>line-intersection</a>

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