Radiosity and Global Illumination

The radiosity method, originally a computation tool for thermal engineers, has evolved in recent years into a powerful and flexible simulation technique for radiant energy transfer. The ability to compute quantitatively accurate simulations of light transfers has opened a vast domain of applications for computer graphics. Thermal radiation studies, lighting design and remote sensing are a few of the fields affected by this exciting technique for producing synthetic images. Here, the authors reformulate some of the most recent and innovative research results into a consistent framework, allowing readers to quickly acquire a comprehensive view of the technique and its derivatives. In addition to reviewing practical issues and offering recommendations, the authors also provide a complete theoretical presentation of the various radiosity algorithms. Special highlights include 93 illustrations and 45 color plates and a practical guide which provides detailed information on various design issues for the development of global illumination software.Sillion, Francois X. is the author of 'Radiosity and Global Illumination' with ISBN 9781558602779 and ISBN 1558602771.