We present a new method for real-time rendering of shadows in dynamic scenes. Our approach builds on the shadow map algorithm by attaching geometric primitives that we call “smoothies” to the objects’ silhouettes. The smoothies give rise to fake shadows that appear qualitatively like soft shadows, without the cost of densely sampling an area light source. The soft shadow edges hide objectionabl...

Rendering mist, haze or fog remains a challenge in current computer graphics since it is intrinsically a 3D problem. While the attenuation caused by fog is easy to implement, single scattering effects such as glows and shafts of light, that increase considerably the realism, are harder to render in realtime. This paper addresses the rendering of such effects along with volumetric shadows induce...

Prisms and slabs made of high-refractive-index materials such as ZnSe, Ge, and Si can be designed as broadband, 50%-50%, beam splitters (BSs) for obliquely incident s- polarized light in the near- and mid-IR. The beam-splitting face of the prism or slab is uncoated, while the exit face is antireflection coated. The split beams travel in orthogonal directions when light is incident at the Brewst...

Hierarchical subdivision techniques remove the need for a-priori meshing of surfaces when approximating global illumination. In addition they allow progressive re nement of the solution. However, when subdivision is based upon Monte Carlo methods, due to the stochastic nature of such techniques, subdivision decisions cannot be made unless a su ciently large number of samples have been considere...

Shadow detection for single image is difficult but has wide applications. This paper proposes a novel and fast shadow detection method based on the Tricolor Attenuation Model [1]. In this study, we analyze the spectral property of outdoor light sources to estimate the parameters of TAM. Then our shadow detection method is proposed by integrate the TAM feature and intensity information. Our meth...

One of the most demanding challenges for real-time shadow algorithms is their application to large-scale, polygon-rich and dynamic environments. In this paper, we discuss the major problems encountered in applying shadow maps to such an environment and provide practical and robust solutions to the appearing problems. We tackle projection aliasing with the aid of an eye space blur. We compare th...

A new algorithm to eliminate moving cast shadow for robust vehicle detection and extraction in a vision-based highway monitoring system is investigated in this research. The proposed algorithm is based on a simplified 2D vehicle/shadow model of six types projected to a 2D image plane. Parameters of the joint 2D vehicle/shadow models can be estimated from input video without the light source and...

The blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus undergoes bilateral eye degeneration during embryonic development. Despite the absence of light in the cave environment, cavefish have retained a structurally intact pineal eye. We show here that contrary to visual degeneration in the bilateral eyes, the cavefish pineal eye has conserved the ability to detect light. Larvae of two different Astyanax cavefish...