Seminar Computer Science - Dr. Peter Vangorp

Title: A Composite Material Model for Rendering Hazy Gloss

Abstract: Materials in computer graphics are represented by mathematical descriptions of how the material reflects light. For example, a mirror reflects light only in the mirror direction. A matte material scatters light equally in all directions. Glossy materials reflect light in the mirror direction and in a narrow cone of directions around it. This presentation introduces a material model for rendering materials that exhibit hazy glossy reflections, whereby a glossy reflection appears to be flanked by a surrounding halo. Common examples of hazy glossy materials include varnished materials, partially polished metals, greasy surfaces, or metallic car paints. The focus of this research is on artistic control and ease of implementation for real-time and off-line rendering. It relies on a composite material based on a pair of arbitrary glossy material models; however, instead of controlling their physical parameters, we expose perceptual parameters derived from visual experiments. The main contribution consists in a mapping from perceptual to physical parameters that ensures the resulting composite material obeys the laws of optics.