Patent ID: 8896599

Claim:
An image processing apparatus to render a 3D model into an image including a plurality of frames, the image processing apparatus comprising: a first calculator, executing on a processor, to generate a first shadow map with respect to a static object included in a three-dimensional (3D) model, at a first viewpoint associated with a first virtual point light (VPL) located on the static object included in the 3D model; a second calculator to generate a second shadow map with respect to a dynamic object included in the 3D model, at the first viewpoint associated with the first VPL located on the static object; a third calculator to generate a third shadow map with respect to the 3D model at the first viewpoint associated with the first VPL located on the static object by synthesizing the first shadow map and the second shadow map, wherein the third calculator reuses, in subsequent image frames, the first shadow map generated for the static object in a first image frame of the plurality of image frames; and a fourth calculator to generate a fourth shadow map with respect to the 3D model at a second viewpoint associated with a second VPL located on the dynamic object included in the 3D model.