An Empirical Model for Heterogeneous Translucent Objects

Christian Fuchs¹     Michael Goesele²     Tongbo Chen¹     Hans-Peter Seidel^{1    
1}MPI Informatik     ²University of Washington    

Abstract

We introduce an empirical model for multiple scattering in heterogeneous translucent objects for which classical approximations such as the dipole approximation to the diffusion equation are no longer valid. Motivated by the exponential fall-o of scattered intensity with distance, diffuse subsurface scattering is represented as a sum of exponentials per surface point plus a modulation texture. Modeling quality can be improved by using an anisotropic model where exponential parameters are determined per surface location and scattering direction. We validate the scattering model for a set of planar object samples which were recorded under controlled conditions and quantify the modeling error. Furthermore, several translucent objects with complex geometry are captured and compared to the real object under similar illumination conditions.

Paper

Christian Fuchs, Michael Goesele, Tongbo Chen, and Hans-Peter Seidel. An empirical model for heterogeneous translucent objects. SIGGRAPH Sketches, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2005. PDF   (see also related MPI Technical Report MPI-I-2005-4-006

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