Smoke and Shadows: Rendering and Light Interaction of Smoke in Real-Time Rendered Virtual Environments

Realism in computer graphics depends upon digitally representing what we see in the world with careful attention to detail, which usually requires a high degree of complexity in modelling the scene. The inevitable trade-off between realism and performance means that new techniques that aim to improve the visual fidelity of a scene must do so without compromising the real-time rendering performance. We describe and discuss a simple method for realistically casting shadows from an opaque solid object through a GPU (graphics processing unit) based particle system representing natural phenomena, such as smoke

Master of Science in Computing

thesisThis document introduces the Soft Shadow Mip-Maps technique, which consists of three methods for overcoming the fundamental limitations of filtering-oriented soft shadows. Filtering-oriented soft shadowing techniques filter shadow maps with varying filter sizes determined by desired penumbra widths. Different varieties of this approach have been commonly applied in interactive and real-time applications. Nonetheless, they share some fundamental limitations. First, soft shadow filter size is not always guaranteed to be the correct size for producing the right penumbra width based on the light source size. Second, filtering with large kernels for soft shadows requires a large number of samples, thereby increasing the cost of filtering. Stochastic approximations for filtering introduce noise and prefiltering leads to inaccuracies. Finally, calculating shadows based on a single blocker estimation can produce significantly inaccurate penumbra widths when the shadow penumbras of different blockers overlap. We discuss three methods to overcome these limitations. First, we introduce a method for computing the soft shadow filter size for a receiver with a blocker distance. Then, we present a filtering scheme based on shadow mip-maps. Mipmap-based filtering uses shadow mip-maps to efficiently generate soft shadows using a constant size filter kernel for each layer, and linear interpolation between layers. Finally, we introduce an improved blocker estimation approach. With the improved blocker estimaiton, we explore the shadow contribution of every blocker by calculating the light occluded by potential blockers. Hence, the calculated penumbra areas correspond to the blockers correctly. Finally, we discuss how to select filter kernels for filtering. These approaches successively solve issues regarding shadow penumbra width calculation apparent in prior techniques. Our result shows that we can produce correct penumbra widths, as evident in our comparisons to ray-traced soft shadows. Nonetheless, the Soft Shadow Mip-Maps technique suffers from light bleeding issues. This is because our method only calculates shadows using the geometry that is available in the shadow depth map. Therefore, the occluded geometry is not taken into consideration, which leads to light bleeding. Another limitation of our method is that using lower resolution shadow mip-map layers limits the resolution of the shadow placement. As a result, when a blocker moves slowly, its shadow follows it with discrete steps, the size of which is determined by the corresponding mip-map layer resolution

Real-time Shadows for Gigapixel Displacement Maps

Shadows portray helpful information in scenes. From a scientific visualization standpoint, they help to add data without unnecessary clutter. In video games they add realism and depth. In common graphics pipelines, due to the independent and parallel rendering of geometric primitives, shadows are difficult to achieve. Objects require knowledge of each other and therefore multiple renders are needed to collect the necessary data. The collection of this data comes with its own set of trade offs. Our research involves adding shadows into a lunar rendering framework developed by Dr. Robert Kooima. The NASA-collected data contains a multi-gigapixel displacement map describing the lunar topology. This map does not fit entirely into main memory and therefore out-of-core paging is utilized to achieve real-time speeds. Current shadow techniques do not attempt to generate occluder data on such a scale, and therefore we have developed a novel approach to fit this situation. By using a chain of pre-processing steps, we analyze the structure of the displacement map and calculate horizon lines at each vertex. This information is saved into several images and used to generate shadows in a single pass, maintaining real-time speeds. The algorithm is even capable of generating soft shadows without extra information or loss of speed. We compare our algorithm with common approaches in the field as well as two forms of ground truth; one from ray tracing and the other from the gigapixel lunar texture data, showing real shadows at the time it was collected

Robust object-based algorithms for direct shadow simulation

En informatique graphique, les algorithmes de générations d'ombres évaluent la quantité de lumière directement perçue par une environnement virtuel. Calculer précisément des ombres est cependant coûteux en temps de calcul. Dans cette dissertation, nous présentons un nouveau système basé objet robuste, qui permet de calculer des ombres réalistes sur des scènes dynamiques et ce en temps interactif. Nos contributions incluent notamment le développement de nouveaux algorithmes de génération d'ombres douces ainsi que leur mise en oeuvre efficace sur processeur graphique. Nous commençons par formaliser la problématique du calcul d'ombres directes. Tout d'abord, nous définissons ce que sont les ombres directes dans le contexte général du transport de la lumière. Nous étudions ensuite les techniques interactives qui génèrent des ombres directes. Suite à cette étude nous montrons que mêmes les algorithmes dit physiquement réalistes se reposent sur des approximations. Nous mettons également en avant, que malgré leur contraintes géométriques, les algorithmes d'ombres basées objet sont un bon point de départ pour résoudre notre problématique de génération efficace et robuste d'ombres directes. Basé sur cette observation, nous étudions alors le système basé objet existant et mettons en avant ses problèmes de robustesse. Nous proposons une nouvelle technique qui améliore la qualité des ombres générées par ce système en lui ajoutant une étape de mélange de pénombres. Malgré des propriétés et des résultats convaincants, les limitations théoriques et de mise en oeuvre limite la qualité générale et les performances de cet algorithme. Nous présentons ensuite un nouvel algorithme d'ombres basées objet. Cet algorithme combine l'efficacité de l'approche basée objet temps réel avec la précision de sa généralisation au rendu hors ligne. Notre algorithme repose sur l'évaluation locale du nombre d'objets entre deux points : la complexité de profondeur. Nous décrivons comment nous utilisons cet algorithme pour échantillonner la complexité de profondeur entre les surfaces visibles d'une scène et une source lumineuse. Nous générons ensuite des ombres à partir de cette information soit en modulant l'éclairage direct soit en intégrant numériquement l'équation d'illumination directe. Nous proposons ensuite une extension de notre algorithme afin qu'il puisse prendre en compte les ombres projetées par des objets semi-opaque. Finalement, nous présentons une mise en oeuvre efficace de notre système qui démontre que des ombres basées objet peuvent être générées de façon efficace et ce même sur une scène dynamique. En rendu temps réel, il est commun de représenter des objets très détaillés encombinant peu de triangles avec des textures qui représentent l'opacité binaire de l'objet. Les techniques de génération d'ombres basées objet ne traitent pas de tels triangles dit "perforés". De par leur nature, elles manipulent uniquement les géométries explicitement représentées par des primitives géométriques. Nous présentons une nouvel algorithme basé objet qui lève cette limitation. Nous soulignons que notre méthode peut être efficacement combinée avec les systèmes existants afin de proposer un système unifié basé objet qui génère des ombres à la fois pour des maillages classiques et des géométries perforées. La mise en oeuvre proposée montre finalement qu'une telle combinaison fournit une solution élégante, efficace et robuste à la problématique générale de l'éclairage direct et ce aussi bien pour des applications temps réel que des applications sensibles à la la précision du résultat.Direct shadow algorithms generate shadows by simulating the direct lighting interaction in a virtual environment. The main challenge with the accurate direct shadow problematic is its computational cost. In this dissertation, we develop a new robust object-based shadow framework that provides realistic shadows at interactive frame rate on dynamic scenes. Our contributions include new robust object-based soft shadow algorithms and efficient interactive implementations. We start, by formalizing the direct shadow problematic. Following the light transport problematic, we first formalize what are robust direct shadows. We then study existing interactive direct shadow techniques and outline that the real time direct shadow simulation remains an open problem. We show that even the so called physically plausible soft shadow algorithms still rely on approximations. Nevertheless we exhibit that, despite their geometric constraints, object-based approaches seems well suited when targeting accurate solutions. Starting from the previous analyze, we investigate the existing object-based shadow framework and discuss about its robustness issues. We propose a new technique that drastically improve the resulting shadow quality by improving this framework with a penumbra blending stage. We present a practical implementation of this approach. From the obtained results, we outline that, despite desirable properties, the inherent theoretical and implementation limitations reduce the overall quality and performances of the proposed algorithm. We then present a new object-based soft shadow algorithm. It merges the efficiency of the real time object-based shadows with the accuracy of its offline generalization. The proposed algorithm lies onto a new local evaluation of the number of occluders between $two$ points (\ie{} the depth complexity). We describe how we use this algorithm to sample the depth complexity between any visible receiver and the light source. From this information, we compute shadows by either modulate the direct lighting or numerically solve the direct illumination with an accuracy depending on the light sampling strategy. We then propose an extension of our algorithm in order to handle shadows cast by semi opaque occluders. We finally present an efficient implementation of this framework that demonstrates that object-based shadows can be efficiently used on complex dynamic environments. In real time rendering, it is common to represent highly detailed objects with few triangles and transmittance textures that encode their binary opacity. Object-based techniques do not handle such perforated triangles. Due to their nature, they can only evaluate the shadows cast by models whose their shape is explicitly defined by geometric primitives. We describe a new robust object-based algorithm that addresses this main limitation. We outline that this method can be efficiently combine with object-based frameworks in order to evaluate approximative shadows or simulate the direct illumination for both common meshes and perforated triangles. The proposed implementation shows that such combination provides a very strong and efficient direct lighting framework, well suited to many domains ranging from quality sensitive to performance critical applications

The Multitude of Molecular Hydrogen Knots in the Helix Nebula

We present HST/NICMOS imaging of the H_2 2.12 \mu m emission in 5 fields in the Helix Nebula ranging in radial distance from 250-450" from the central star. The images reveal arcuate structures with their apexes pointing towards the central star. Comparison of these images with comparable resolution ground based images reveals that the molecular gas is more highly clumped than the ionized gas line tracers. From our images, we determine an average number density of knots in the molecular gas ranging from 162 knots/arcmin^2 in the denser regions to 18 knots/arcmin^2 in the lower density outer regions. Using this new number density, we estimate that the total number of knots in the Helix to be ~23,000 which is a factor of 6.5 larger than previous estimates. The total neutral gas mass in the Helix is 0.35 M_\odot assuming a mass of \~1.5x10^{-5} M_\odot for the individual knots. The H_2 intensity, 5-9x10^{-5} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2} sr^{-1}, remains relatively constant with projected distance from the central star suggesting a heating mechanism for the molecular gas that is distributed almost uniformly in the knots throughout the nebula. The temperature and H_2 2.12 \mu m intensity of the knots can be approximately explained by photodissociation regions (PDRs) in the individual knots; however, theoretical PDR models of PN under-predict the intensities of some knots by a factor of 10.Comment: 26 pages, 3 tables, 10 figures; AJ accepte

Large-Scale Rendering Using Shadowmaps

Shadow mapovanie je najpoužívanejšia metóda ktorá sa využíva v real-time 3D grafike na tvorbu tieňov v lokálnych osvetlovacích modeloch. Táto práca krok-za-krokom vysvetľuje proces vytvárania shadow máp. Porovnané su metódy výpočtu hĺbkovej odchylky ako aj filtrovacie metódy, a zároveň je odvodený výpočet normálovej odchýlky pre filtrovacie kernely s premennou veľkosťou. Taktiež popíšeme proces ako efektívne obaliť frustum kamery kaskádovým frustumom. Popri tom vysvetlíme ako využiť moderné OpenGL API na zníženie výkonnostných nedostatkov.Shadow mapping is the most widely used method in real-time 3D graphics for producing shadows in local light models. This thesis step-by-step explains the process of creating shadow maps. Depth biasing as well as filtering methods are analysed, then the calculation of normal offset bias for variable sized kernels is derived. We describe the process of efficiently fitting stable cascade frustums to view frustum. Also shown is how to use modern OpenGL to reduce performance overhead.

Shadow mapping algorithms: Applications and limitations

This study provides an overview of popular and famous algorithms and techniques in shadow maps generation.Well- known techniques in shadow maps generation is described detail, along with a discussion of the advantages and drawbacks of each. Basic ideas, improvements and future works of the techniques are also comprehensively summarized and analyzed in depth. Often, programmers have difficulty selecting an appropriate shadow generation algorithm that is specific to their purpose. We have classified and systemized these techniques. The main goal of this paper is to provide researchers with background on a variety of shadow mapping techniques so as make it easier for them to choose the method best suited to their aims. It is al-so hoped that our analysis will help researchers find solutions to the shortcomings of each technique. © 2015 NSP Natural Sciences Publishing Co