System and method for rendering images using a Russian roulette methodology for evaluating global illumination

US6885370B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Mental Images GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Georgy Abramov · Berlin, DE
• Kristjan Jonsson · San Diego, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 7, 2002
• Grant date: Apr 26, 2005
• Expiry date: Apr 17, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T15/55
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A computer graphics system generate a pixel value for a pixel in an image to simulate global illumination represented by an evaluation of an unknown function ƒ of the form g(x) and K(x,y) known functions, with K(x,y) a “kernel” including a function associated with at least two colors. An estimator generator module generates “N” estimators ƒ(n)lds,RR(x) as Θ(x) representing the Heaviside function, ξ1(n), ξ′1(n), . . . , ξL(n), ξ′L(n) components of a multi-dimensional strictly deterministic low-discrepancy sequence and “n” a sequence index. A luminance value module generates a luminance value for the point in the scene as the average of the estimator values generated by the estimator generator module. A pixel value generator module uses the luminance value generated for the point in the scene in generating the pixel value.