Unit 3

Illumination Models &

Surface Rendering Method

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Contents
• Light sources
• Ambient Light
• Diffused light
• Specular reflection
• Halftoning
• Polygon Rendering methods
• Ray tracing methods
• Radiosity lighting

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Illumination Model
• Illumination model, also known as Shading
model or Lightning model, is used to calculate
the intensity of light that is reflected at a given
point on surface.
• Rendering method uses intensity calculations
from the illumination model to determine the
light intensity at all pixels in the image

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Light Material Interaction
• Light that strikes an object is partially
absorbed & partially reflected.
• Shiny materials reflect more of the incident
light and dull surfaces absorb more of the
incident light.
• The amount reflected determines the color
and brightness of the object
• The reflected light is scattered in a manner
that depends on the orientation of the surface
Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
 Light sources
• Generally light sources are difficult to work
with because we must integrate light coming
from all points on the source

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

Light source is the light emitting source.
There are following types of light sources
• Point Light
• Spot Light
• Directional Light
• Area Light

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

• Point Light
Point sources emit light from a single point in
all directions, with the intensity of the light
decreasing with distance. An example of a
point source is a standalone light bulb

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

• Directional Light
A directional source (or distant source)
uniformly lights a scene from one
direction. Unlike a point source, the intensity
of light produced by a directional source does
not change with distance over the scale of the
scene, as the directional source is treated as
though it is extremely far away. An example of
a directional source is sunlight on Earth.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

• Spot Light
A spotlight produces a directed cone of
light. The light becomes more intense as the
viewer gets closer to the spotlight source and
to the center of the light cone. An example of
a spotlight is a flashlight.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

• Area Light
Area lights are 3D objects which emit light.
Whereas point lights and spot lights sources
are considered infinitesimally small points,
area lights are treated as physical shapes. Area
light produce softer shadows and more
realistic lighting than point lights and spot
lights.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

Types of Basic Illumination Models

• Ambient Light
• Diffuse Reflection
• Specular Reflection

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
 Polygon Rendering Methods
Polygon rendering is the process of determining the
color and intensity of each pixel on the surface of
a polygon in a 3D space to create a 2D image.

Different polygon rendering methods in computer

graphics:
• Constant Intensity Shading/Flat Shading
• Gouraud Shading
• Phong Shading

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

Constant Intensity Shading/Flat Shading
• It is a simple & very fast method to specify color for an object
of polygon rendering. It is also called Flat shading.
• In this method every point has constant intensity. All point of
polygon has same intensity value.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

Constant Intensity Shading/Flat Shading
• Flat shading assumes that each polygon is strictly
planar & all the points on the polygon have exactly
the same kind of lighting treatment.
• This shading technique thus displays all the points in a
polygon with a single color.
• It defines a single color for a face implementation of it
may vary but the main idea is that we use only one
surface normal per polygon.
• Discontinuity of colors can be observed in different
faces of the polygon

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Gouraud Shading
• It is developed by Gouraud. This rendering is done by intensity
interpolation.
• Intensity levels are calculated at each vertex & interpolated
across the surface.
• This intensity interpolation scheme renders the polygon surface
by linearly interpolating intensity values across the surface.
Intensity values for each polygon are matched with the values of
adjacent polygons along the common edges.
• This it eliminates the intensity discontinuities that occurs in flat
shading. This technique uses the concept of intensity
interpolation.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Gouraud Shading
• Calculations to be performed for each polygon surface rendered
with Gourand shading:
1) Determine average unit normal vector at each polygon vertex.
2) Apply illumination model to each vertex to calculate the vertex
intensity.
3) Linearly interpolate the vertex intensities over the surface of
the polygon.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Gouraud Shading
1) To determine average unit normal vector at each polygon vertex: At
each polygon vertex (as shown by point V in the figure), the normal
vector is obtained by averaging the surface normal of all polygons
sharing that vertex.

• Thus, for any vertex V the unit vertex normal will be given by Nv
K → 1 to n where n is no. of the surfaces in contact with the vertex v.
Generalized equation is

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Gouraud Shading
2) Apply illumination model to each vertex to calculate the vertex
intensity.
3) Linearly interpolate the vertex intensities over the surface of the
polygon.
Intensity of a:

Intensity of b:

Intensity at point p is given by:

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Phong Shading
• It is more accurate method of polygon rendering developed by
Phong Bui Tuong.
• Phong shading improves upon Gouraud shading and provides a
better approximation of the shading of a smooth surface.
• At each point of the surface, it interpolates the normal vector
instead of intensity values and applies the illumination model.
• It is also called as normal vector interpolation shading.
• It gives more real highlights of the surface

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Phong Shading
• Determine the average unit normal vector at each polygon vertex:

Thus, for any vertex V the unit vertex normal will be given by Nv
K → 1 to n where n is no. of the surfaces in contact with the
vertex v.
Generalized equation is

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Phong Shading
Linearly interpolate the vertex normals over the surface of polygon

Apply the illumination model along each scan to determine projected

pixel intensities of surface points

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Comparison

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Half tonning Technique:
• Newspaper, photographs simulate a grey-scale image that can printed using only black
ink.
• A newspaper picture is, in fact, made up of a pattern of tiny black dots of varying size.
• The human visual system has a tendency to average brightness over small areas, so the
black dots and their white background merge and are perceived as an intermediate
shade of grey.
• The process of generating a binary pattern of black and white dots from an image is
termed half toning.
• In traditional newspaper and magazine production, this process is carried out
photographically by projection of a transparency through a 'halftone screen' onto film.
• The screen is a glass plate with a grid etched into it.
• Different screens can be used to control the size and shape of the dots in the half toned
image.
• In computer graphics, half toning reproductions are approximated using rectangular
pixel region say 2 x 2 pixels or 3 x 3 pixels.
• These regions are called as “Halftone Patters” or “Pixel Patterns”.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

2 x 2 pixel patterns for creating five intensity levels are shown in figure

3 x 3 pixel patterns for creating ten intensity levels are shown in figure

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Ray Tracing

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil
 Radiosity lighting
Radiosity is a rendering technique that focuses on global lighting and works to track
the way that light spreads and diffuses around a scene.
This is done in an attempt to simulate the effect of light bouncing around a room.
This is a really good method for recreating natural shading. Have a look in the corner
of any room or where the walls meet the ceiling - you’ll notice that shadows tend to
gather there. This is something that can be recreated really well using radiosity.

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil

 Thank you

Computer Graphics & Multimedia By Prof. Meenakshi P. Patil