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From: thant@horus.esd.sgi.com (Thant Tessman)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Random points on a sphere
Keywords: random points sphere
Message-ID: <7426@odin.corp.sgi.com>
Date: 8 May 90 18:03:09 GMT
References: <434@ticipa.ti.com> <1990Apr26.151056.25145@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu> <1990Apr27.201704.16711@cs.UAlberta.CA> <1990May4.150632.27212@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <7429@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
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Reply-To: thant@horus.esd.sgi.com (Thant Tessman)
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I haven't followed the whole thing, but I think I've got
a really easy way to distribute random points on a sphere.

x = random number [-1, +1]
y = random number [-1, +1]
z = random number [-1, +1]

r = sqrt(x*x + y*y + z*z) 

if ( r > 1.0 )

	//throw it away

else 

	//project it onto the unit sphere

	x = x/r;
	y = y/r;
	z = z/r;

Piece o' cake.

thant