Rendering techniques refer to the methods used in computer graphics to generate an image from a 2D or 3D model. These techniques are crucial for creating realistic or stylized visual representations in applications like video games, movies, virtual reality, and more.
The evolution of rendering techniques began with the advent of computer graphics in the mid-20th century:
Ray tracing simulates the path of light as it travels through a scene, calculating the interactions with surfaces and light sources. This technique provides highly realistic results with accurate reflections, refractions, and shadows but is computationally intensive.
Rasterization involves converting vector graphics or 3D models into a raster image (a grid of pixels). It's widely used in real-time rendering due to its efficiency, especially with hardware acceleration provided by GPUs.
Radiosity deals with the diffuse reflection of light between surfaces. Unlike ray tracing, which is better for specular reflections, radiosity excels in simulating the soft, indirect lighting effects found in real environments.
Path tracing is an extension of ray tracing where multiple rays are traced from each point on a surface to simulate the full path of light, including diffuse inter-reflections. It provides physically accurate lighting but at a higher computational cost.
Global Illumination encompasses techniques like radiosity and path tracing to simulate the overall lighting of a scene, capturing both direct and indirect light interactions.
Photon mapping precomputes the paths of photons to store illumination information, which can then be used to render complex light effects like caustics.
Rendering techniques are applied in: