Abstract: A single-pass method which is an inverse mapping technique that map an image expressed in cylindrical coordinates to a viewing plane. In accordance with this method, a cylindrical environment map is also used to express a scene. However, rather than projecting the image in cylindrical coordinates out onto the viewing plane, the pixels on the viewing plane are ray-traced, in scan-line order, back through the cylinder to determine the corresponding points of intersection on the cylinder. The intersecting rays form a “clam-shell” like sampling region on the cylinder, and the corresponding output pixel values for the points of intersection on the cylinder are copied to the corresponding output pixel. No other perspective adjustment or scaling factors are necessary. Also, no intermediate data buffer is necessary.