Radiosity and Realistic Image Synthesis (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) [Hardcover]

Michael F. Cohen (Author), John R. Wallace (Author)

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Product details

Hardcover: 381 pages
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers In (17 Nov 1993)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0121782700
ISBN-13: 978-0121782702
Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.8 x 2.6 cm
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,383,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #75 in Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Programming > Games Programming > 3D

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Product Description

The goal of image synthesis is to create, using the computer, a visual experience that is identical to what a viewer would experience when viewing a real environment. "Radiosity and Realistic Image Synthesis" offers the first comprehensive look at the radiosity method for image synthesis and the tools required to approach this elusive goal. Basic concepts and mathematical fundamentals underlying image synthesis and radiosity algorithms are covered thoroughly. (A basic knowledge of undergraduate calculus is assumed). The algorithms that have been developed to implement the radiosity method ranging from environment subdivision to final display are discussed. Successes and difficulties in implementing and using these algorithms are highlighted. Extensions to the basic radiosity method to include glossy surfaces, fog or smoke, and realistic light sources are also described. There are 16 pages of full colour images and over 100 illustrations to explain the development and show the results of the radiosity method. Results of applications of this new technology from a variety of fields are also included. Michael Cohen has worked in the area of realistic image synthesis since 1983 and was instrumental in the development of the radiosity method. He is currently an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University. John Wallace is a software engineer at 3D/EYE, Inc., where he is the project leader for the development of Hewlett-Packard's ATRCore radiosity and ray tracing library. A chapter on the basic concepts of image synthesis is contributed by Patrick Hanrahan. He has worked on the topic of image synthesis at Pixar, where he was instrumental in the development of the Renderman software. He has also led research on the hierarchical methods at Princeton University, where he is an associate professor of computer science. All three authors have written numerous articles on radiosity that have appeared in the SIGGAPH proceedings and elsewhere. They have also taught the SIGGRAPH course on radiosity for 5 years. This is the first comprehensive book written about radiosity, which: features applications from the fields of computer graphics, architecture, industrial design, and related computer aided design technologies; offers over 100 illustrations and 16 pages of full-color images demonstrating the results of radiosity methods; and, contains a chapter authored by Pat Hanrahan on the basic concepts of image synthesis and a foreword by Donald Greenberg.

About the Author

By Michael F. Cohen and John R. Wallace

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
In the pursuit of lifelike images, artists have long attempted to understand the behavior of light and the characteristics of perception. Read the first page

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Amazon.com: 2 reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Difficult, but worth it 15 May 1999

By Noah Gibbs - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover

This is a good radiosity text for a professor to reference a skilled student to (say a very advanced undergraduate or a graduate student). It's very physically based, and will teach you a great deal about how radiosity techniques reflect the behavior of the actual light, in some ways down to the photon level; a reasonable background in physics is helpful, and a strong background in math is necessary.

It's a very definitive and a very well-written book on radiosity, but if you don't know or care what radiosity is, or if you don't program renderers, then you don't want this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

The Reference on Radiosity 13 Dec 2000

By Eric Dubuis - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover

The Book "Radiosity and Realistic Image Generation" is dedicated to only one realistic image generation method, the radiosity method. And nothing else. The authors were very much involved in defining the radiosity method and they have developed and published some of the basic techniques and a lot of the advanced algorithms for the radiosity method and it shows. The book covers all aspects of this image generation process in great detail.

This book is very well structured and explains the radiosity method in a very illustrative way. In order to understand the radiosity method, one has to appreciate the mathematical and physical fundaments of this elegant image generation method, and the authors do a great job in carefully defining and introducing all of these fundaments. The radiosity method is quite complex and requires and a lot of acceleration techniques have been introduced during the late 80s and early 90s. This book covers them all.

I don't see any negative aspects about this book. Yes, it is quite mathematical, but there is no other way to cover all details of the radiosity method. This book is the reference.

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