On the Hyperspectral Modeling of Light Interaction with Human Skin

The exploration of the hyperspectral domain offers a host of new research and application possibilities in terms of material appearance modeling. In this paper, we address these prospects with respect to human skin, one of the most ubiquitous materials portrayed in synthetic imaging. We present a novel hyperspectral skin appearance model that takes into account the optical and structural characteristics of this complex organ as well as the particle nature of its main light-attenuation agents to enable the predictive rendering of its appearance attributes in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions of the light spectrum. Accordingly, it has a broad scope of applications involving hyperspectral skin imaging for entertainment, aesthetic, educational and biomedical purposes. The predictions of the proposed model are quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated through comparisons with measured data. In addition, its effectiveness is further illustrated through the generation of images depicting distinct trends in the variation of skin appearance attributes detected under visible and non-visible light.