Gouraud shading

In 3D graphics, a technique developed by Henri Gouraud in the early 1970s that computes a shaded surface based on the color and illumination at the corners of every triangle. Gouraud shading is the simplest rendering method and is computed faster than Phong shading. It does not produce shadows or reflections. The surface normals at the triangle's points are used to create RGB values, which are averaged across the triangle's surface. See flat shading and Phong shading.

Types of Shading

Flat, Gouraud and Phong shading are the three most common types of shading used on 3D objects. (Image courtesy of Intergraph Computer Systems.)