In mathematics and its applications, the signed distance function or signed distance field (SDF) is the orthogonal distance of a given point x to the boundary of a set Ω in a metric space (such as the surface of a geometric shape), with the sign determined by whether or not x is in the interior of Ω. The function has positive values at points x inside Ω, it decreases in value as x approaches the boundary of Ω where the signed distance function is zero, and it takes negative values outside of Ω. However, the alternative convention is also sometimes taken instead (i.e., negative inside Ω and positive outside). The concept also sometimes goes by the name oriented distance function/field.
