Illumination for computer generated pictures

TLDR

The quality of computer‑generated 3‑D images depends on shading, which in turn relies on object modeling and hidden‑surface algorithms that are tightly interrelated. The authors present shading techniques linked to different modeling and hidden‑surface methods, aiming to improve realism by incorporating human visual perception and optical laws. They devise a shading rule that blends human perception with fundamental optics to produce higher‑quality, more realistic images.

Abstract

The quality of computer generated images of three-dimensional scenes depends on the shading technique used to paint the objects on the cathode-ray tube screen. The shading algorithm itself depends in part on the method for modeling the object, which also determines the hidden surface algorithm. The various methods of object modeling, shading, and hidden surface removal are thus strongly interconnected. Several shading techniques corresponding to different methods of object modeling and the related hidden surface algorithms are presented here. Human visual perception and the fundamental laws of optics are considered in the development of a shading rule that provides better quality and increased realism in generated images.