Patent ID: 7079138

Claim:
A method for computing the intensity of specularly reflected light, comprising the steps of: representing the intensity of light reflected specularly from an object illuminated by a plurality of light sources by an algebraic expression, wherein the algebraic expression is S i (n,h i ,n)=1−n+max{n·(nh i ), n−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 i th light source, where n is a unit vector normal to the object at the point of reflection, h i is a unit vector bisecting an angle subtended by a unit vector pointing towards the i th 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; incorporating the algebraic expression into an illumination model for the illumination of the object, the model having at least specular illumination terms and diffuse 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 specular illumination terms and the diffuse illumination terms are evaluated substantially in parallel.