Welcome to Computer Graphics Group at UD

Real-time Reflection Mapping with Parallax

With: Jason Yang and Leonard McMillan

Abstract

We present a novel algorithm to efficiently render accurate reflections on programmable graphics hardware. Our algorithm overcomes problems that commonly occur in environment mapping such as the lack of motion parallax and inaccuracies when objects are
close to the reflectors. In place of a 2D environment map, which only represents points infinitely far away from the reflector, we use six 4D light field slabs to represent the surrounding scene. Each reflected ray is rendered by indexing into these precaptured
environment light fields. We are able to render accurate reflections with motion parallax at interactive frame rates independent of the reflector geometry and the scene complexity.
Furthermore, we can move the reflectors within a constrained region of space and guarantee that the environment light field provides the necessary rays. We benefit from the programmability of existing graphics hardware to efficiently compute the reflected rays and transform them into the appropriate light field index. We also take advantage of the large texture memories and memory bandwidth available in today's graphics card to store and query hardware-compressed light fields.

To appear Interactive 3D Graphics and Games, 2005. The paper can be downloaded here. 

See also a video illustrating how our framework works.