Material and Texture Models

While researchers have made great strides in light transport algorithms, or rendering, simulations depend just as much on the underlying material models. Unfortunately, the models widely used in computer graphics assume that the materials are both pristine and immutable, even though real materials are neither. One of the central goals of our research is to devise both new material representations and operators for generating and capturing a broad range of complex surface appearances. By incorporating additional information about a material’s structure, its interaction with light, and the physical processes that affect it, we are able to simulate a range of complex appearances that would be difficult—if not impossible—to achieve with traditional techniques. We are developing methods both to simulate materials and the processes that affect them, and to physically measure the input required for these models.