Soft shadows for cinematic lighting for computer graphics
US7969438B2 · kind B2 · utility
16Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 16, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jun 28, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 31, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2215/12
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for high quality soft shadows for area lights in cinematic lighting for use in computer graphics, such as computer enabled animation. The method is an extension of traditional shadow maps, so the complexity of the present method is independent of geometric complexity. It uses multilayer translucent shadow maps, which can be used to produce high quality soft shadows for scenes with extremely complex geometry, fur, and volume objects. The present method computes the shadow factor by ray tracing the multilayer translucent shadow map.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.