Compare SDF vs MSDF — See how multi-channel preserves sharp corners at any scale
Notice the rounded corners and artifacts at sharp edges. Single-channel SDF stores only distance to nearest edge.
Sharp corners preserved! RGB channels encode directional distance, reconstructed via median function.
SDF Field (Grayscale)
MSDF Field (RGB Channels)
The Problem: Standard Signed Distance Fields (SDF) use a single value per pixel representing distance to the nearest edge. This works well for smooth curves but fails at sharp corners—they become rounded when zoomed in.
The Solution: Multi-channel SDF (MSDF) uses RGB channels to encode directional edge information. Each channel stores the distance to edges in different quadrants. The final distance is computed using the median of R, G, B values, which correctly reconstructs sharp corners at any scale.