Global Illumination

Catalog description

This course will investigate the theory of global illumination (GI) in computer image synthesis. Seminal computer graphics papers will be used to explore the various components of the GI pipeline and explain how the path of light in a virtual scene can be simulated and used to create photorealistic imagery. The course will emphasize the theory behind various GI rendering tools and libraries available for image synthesis. The student will put theory into practice via a set of programming assignments and a capstone project. Topics will include light and color, three-dimensional scene specification, camera models, surface materials and textures, GI rendering methods, procedural shading, tone reproduction, and advanced rendering techniques. Readings and summaries of Computer Graphics literature will be required.