1. A system, comprising: a modeling agent, to develop a surface detail model utilizing a modeling technique appropriate for a given set of viewing parameters; a rendering engine, responsive to the modeling agent, capable of rendering surface detail in real time with smooth transitions from close-up views to distant views in accordance with the developed surface detail model over an object surface; and a surface detail engine that uses a mesh grid representation made from at least one mesh grid element, the surface detail model associating at least one seed in each mesh grid element, at least one surface detail extending from each seed in a direction that has a perpendicular component to a plane formed by the mesh grid element such that at least a portion of the surface detail extends outwardly from the boundaries of the mesh grid element.