Patent ID: 8009168

Claim:
A method for rendering inhomogeneous scattering medium, wherein the method is performed by a processor that executes acts comprising: (a) receiving a radial basis functions (RBF) model density field which is expressed by a weighted sum of a set of radial basis functions RBFs each having a RBF center, the RBF model density field representing at least approximately a density field of an inhomogeneous scattering medium defined in a volume space; (b) computing a value of source radiance at each said RBF center; (c) approximating values of the source radiance at other points in the volume space by interpolating from the values of the source radiance at the RBF centers; (d) computing an effective exitant radiance at a point x in the volume space at least partially based on the source radiance; and (e) rendering an image of the inhomogeneous scattering medium based on the effective exitant radiance.