Photo-realistic computer graphics attempt to simulate this effect by generating on a computer, images that look real, are physically correct, and represent all light reflections.
Archaeologists study the material remains of past societies.
This includes buildings as well as tools, utensils and other artefacts. Rarely has it been possible to place buildings and objects together, to understand how things looked in their original environment. This paper describes a collaborative endeavour which uses a parallel implementation of the photo-realistic graphic technique, particle tracing, to assist archaeologists in better understanding the use and meaning of light in ancient environments. Colloquia Series page.