Are voxels the goto method for easy mesh manipulation without worrying about vertices? I’ve been trying to research ways to 3d model without worrying about topology. So far all I’ve found is CSG and voxels.
It depends on the representation. SDFs can be pure mathematical functions, in which case there is no grid, or they can be a grid of values representing distances to the implicit surface, in which case they do use a grid. The latter representation, to my knowledge, is rarely used in 3d, but it is used in 2d for SDF fonts for example.
From what I can find this depends on the definition, as there is a difference between a Signed Distance Function [0], and a Signed Distance Field, where the latter does get defined as a grid of values:
> A signed distance field is represented as a grid sampling of the closest distance to the surface of an object represented as a polygonal model. [1]
and
> Signed Distance Fields (SDF) are 3D textures where each texel stores the distance from the surface of an object. By convention, this distance is negative inside the object and positive outside. [2]
But that grid of values gets generated from either mathematical formulas, e.g. spheres, or from another representation of geometry such as a mesh or a vector shape.
I suppose this is similar to voxels in that the data is stored in a uniform grid, but the way it gets rendered is different.
[0] https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d/apps/modeler.html
[1] https://womp.com/