Download or read book Realistic Image Synthesis Using Photon Mapping written by Henrik Wann Jensen and published by A K Peters/CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-07-18 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Photon mapping, an extension of ray tracing, makes it possible to efficiently simulate global illumination in complex scenes. Photon mapping can simulate caustics (focused light, like shimmering waves at the bottom of a swimming pool), diffuse inter-reflections (e.g., the "bleeding" of colored light from a red wall onto a white floor, giving the floor a reddish tint), and participating media (such as clouds or smoke). This book is a practical guide to photon mapping; it provides the theory and practical insight necessary to implement photon mapping and simulate all types of direct and indirect illumination efficiently.