Library/Graphics/Clipping

Generalization
Clipping is the process of taking an element and determining the portion of that element that is within a specific space or range.

Relationship to culling
The notion is similar to $..$. The primary difference is the clipping can return the part of an element that is within a space, whereas culling generally categorizes in a binary manner with an element as being entirely outside a space or not entirely outside the space. Furthermore, in practice culling is generally a conservative algorithm that will guarantee elements elements partially within a space are never rejected, but the converse is not necessarily true: that all elements entirely outside the space will be rejected (this is done for efficiency reasons). Clipping algorithms on the other hand tend to be exacting: returning precise results of what portion of an element is within a space and what portion is outside the space.

As a result, culling is usually a faster, 'first-pass' algorithm that is applied before a more computationally expensive clipping algorithm is applied.

Clipping a Point against a Line

 * Same a culling in this example because a Point is an infinitesimal, atomic element by definition is entirely entirely within or without a space
 * Line defines into 2D half-spaces