Interactive Realistic Rendering Using a Hardware
Programmable Graphics Pipeline
Abstract
Graphics hardware allows to visualize three dimensional scenes at
interactive rates.
The graphics pipeline lights the 3D scene and transforms it to a 2D image.
The conventional pipeline uses a non physically based lighting model and
the
lighting equations are only evaluated for each vertex.
Recent developments have led to a programmable pipeline. This thesis
investigates
the generation of realistic and interactive visualizations using a
programmable
pipeline.
Direct illumination with physically based materials and shadows is
calculated
per vertex and per pixel.
Using virtual light sources, we construct a model for global illumination
with inter reflections.
With these techniques, we are able to generate realistic images at
interactive rates.
A direct illumination solution is obtained at real time rates and global
illumination is evaluated in less than a second.
Ares Lagae
may 15th, 2002