| The synthesis of actual
and computer generated photo-realistic images has been
the aim of artists and graphic designers for many
decades. Some of the most realistic images (see Graphics Gallery - simulated steel mill) were generated using
radiosity techniques. Unlike ray tracing, radiosity
models the actual interaction between the lights and the
environment. In photo realistic Virtual Reality (VR)
environments, the need for quick feedback based on user
actions is crucial. It is generally recognised that
traditional implementation of radiosity is
computationally very expensive and therefore not feasible
for use in VR systems where practical data sets are of
huge complexity. To achieve photo-realism in images, we look into what radiosity can offer and the current state of art by doing a radiosity trend analysis. In addition, we also review several acceleration techniques which are suitable for applying radiosity in the synthesis of VR environments. Finally, we introduce two new methods and several hybrid techniques to the radiosity research community on using radiosity in VR applications. |
Keywords: photo-realism; global illumination; real-time radiosity; VR radiosity; walk-throughs; flybys; simulation.
Author: Tralvex Yeap
Created on March 11, 1997. Last Revised: August 15, 1997.