Mike Stark
Homework #6
Ray-Tracing Glass and Metal Objects
Some Blocks and Sphere
This image was done using 100 samples per pixel, using ordinary
jittered sampling.
Some glass spheres
This image was also rendered using 100 samples per pixel.
Cheesy Diamonds
The object on the left is glass, the one on the right is diamond.
Note the "deeper" refraction and increased surface reflection. These
look pretty bad without any light sources.
Internal Reflection Considerations
The transparent images were rendered without internal reflection, except
for total internal reflection. For glass, the effect is very small, as
the reflectance is around 0.04, and that is before attenutation. Nonetheless
the effect is noticable, although subtle, and although it greatly increases
the rendering time (due to the fact that a rays splits at every
transparent interface) it should be included. At least three images
of a mderately bright light are easily visible in a pane of glass with a dark
background, the first from the front surface of the glass, the second
from the back surface, and the third from the internal reflection on the
front surface from the back surface reflection.
This image on the top includes internal reflection, the image on the
bottom does not. The effect is most apparent on the refracted white checks.
