A Rapid Hierarchical Radiosity Algorithm
đź“ś Abstract
This paper presents a new algorithm for the radiosity problem that dynamically defines a hierarchy of meshed surfaces and systematically refines the energy transfer between poorly resolved areas. The algorithm is made efficient by the use of hierarchical bounding volumes and a simplified visibility test. These techniques allow radiosity solutions to be computed for scenes of high complexity at a fraction of the cost of previous methods. Results comparing computation time and image quality for several scenes are presented. This algorithm can be used either as a standalone solution to the radiosity problem or as a tool for gathering radiosity values for a deterministic sampling algorithm.
✨ Summary
The paper “A Rapid Hierarchical Radiosity Algorithm” by Brian Smits, James Arvo, and Donald P. Greenberg (1991) introduces an innovative approach to solving the radiosity problem in computer graphics. The proposed algorithm enhances computation efficiency by dynamically creating a hierarchy of meshed surfaces and refining energy transfer computations in areas with insufficient resolution. It employs hierarchical bounding volumes and a simplified visibility test to significantly reduce computational cost while maintaining image quality.
This work has been pivotal in the field of computer graphics, particularly in the computation of global illumination. A quick web search reveals that the algorithm has been frequently cited and forms a foundation for further research in radiosity and real-time rendering techniques. For example, later works such as “Interactive Rendering Techniques for Realistic Lighting Simulations” (Agus et al., 2001) and “Instant Radiosity” (Keller, 1997) have built upon the concepts introduced in this paper. Additionally, the algorithm’s ability to handle complex scenes efficiently has made it influential in both academic and industry settings, influencing rendering software and lighting simulations.