Abstract

We introduce a new class of primitive functions with non-linear parameters for representing light reflectance functions. The functions are reciprocal, energy-conserving and expressive. They can capture important phenomena such as off-specular reflection, increasing reflectance and retro-reflection. We demonstrate this by fitting sums of primitive functions to a physically-based model and to actual measurements. The resulting representation is simple, compact and uniform. It can be applied efficiently in analytical and Monte Carlo computations. CR Categories: I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism; I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation Keywords: Reflectance function, BRDF representation 1 INTRODUCTION The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of a material describes how light is scattered at its surface. It determines the appearance of objects in a scene, through direct illumination and global interreflection effects. Local r...

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