Photon mapping
Okay little buddy, let me tell you about something called "photon mapping." Have you ever seen how light bounces off of shiny objects like mirrors or jewelry? Well, when we try to create computer graphics that look like real-life objects, we need to figure out how the light behaves in those scenes.
Now, photon mapping is like a special way of painting a picture with light. It's very clever because it helps us simulate how light bounces around in a room or on an object. We can use it to make really cool-looking pictures of things like sunsets or glowing plants.
Here's how it works: first, we imagine a room or environment that we want to create. We put some light sources like lamps or the sun in the scene. Then, we fire imaginary "photons" out of those light sources. These photons are like little packets of energy that travel through the space and bounce off things they hit, like walls or furniture.
Now, each time a photon hits an object, it can do two things: it can either be absorbed by the object, or it can bounce off in a new direction. When a photon bounces off an object, we keep track of where it goes and what color it is.
After we shoot hundreds or thousands of these photons around the scene, we collect all the information they've given us about how the light bounces. Then we use that information to create a really accurate picture of what the scene would actually look like! We can see what shadows it casts or how the light reflects off different materials.
So, that's photon mapping! It helps us make computer graphics that look like real-life because it's based on how light behaves in the real world. Pretty cool, huh?
Now, photon mapping is like a special way of painting a picture with light. It's very clever because it helps us simulate how light bounces around in a room or on an object. We can use it to make really cool-looking pictures of things like sunsets or glowing plants.
Here's how it works: first, we imagine a room or environment that we want to create. We put some light sources like lamps or the sun in the scene. Then, we fire imaginary "photons" out of those light sources. These photons are like little packets of energy that travel through the space and bounce off things they hit, like walls or furniture.
Now, each time a photon hits an object, it can do two things: it can either be absorbed by the object, or it can bounce off in a new direction. When a photon bounces off an object, we keep track of where it goes and what color it is.
After we shoot hundreds or thousands of these photons around the scene, we collect all the information they've given us about how the light bounces. Then we use that information to create a really accurate picture of what the scene would actually look like! We can see what shadows it casts or how the light reflects off different materials.
So, that's photon mapping! It helps us make computer graphics that look like real-life because it's based on how light behaves in the real world. Pretty cool, huh?