Which process is primarily used to display 3D objects on a computer screen?

The process that is primarily used to display 3D objects on a computer screen is rendering. Rendering involves creating a 2D image from a 3D model by calculating the effects of light, shading, and texture on the surfaces of the objects within the 3D scene. This process converts the structured data of a 3D model—comprising vertices, edges, and faces—into a viewable format on a screen, usually involving complex calculations for realistic lighting and shadow effects.

While modeling refers to the creation of the 3D objects themselves, and texturing pertains to the application of surface details (like colors and patterns) to those models, it is rendering that synthesizes all these elements and produces the final visual output seen by users. Scanning generally pertains to capturing images or data from the real world, which is not relevant to the actual display of 3D graphics. Thus, rendering is essential in the visualization of 3D objects in digital environments.