Patent ID: 6781594
Filing Date: 2004-08-24
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
A method for computing the intensity of specularly reflected light, comprising:representing the intensity of light reflected specularly from an object illuminated by a plurality of light sources by an algebraic expression; incorporating the algebraic expression into an illumination model for the illumination of the object, the model having specular illumination terms; and expressing the specular illumination terms of the illumination model in the same functional form as other terms of the illumination model, wherein the algebraic expression is Si(n,hi,n)=1âˆ’n+max{nÂ·(nhi), nâˆ’1}, which describes the intensity of light reflected from a point on the object as measured by an observer, the object illuminated by light from an ith light source, where n is a unit vector normal to the object at the point of reflection, hi is a unit vector bisecting an angle subtended by a unit vector pointing towards the ith light source from the point of reflection and a unit vector pointing towards the observer from the point of reflection, and n is a parameter that describes the shininess of the object.