Advanced environment mapping in VR applications

Jan Kautz, Katja Daubert, Hans-Peter Seidel

Abstract: In this paper, we propose an approach for rendering diffuse and glossy reflections using environment maps. This approach is geared towards virtual reality applications, where realism and fast rendering is important. We exploit certain mathematical properties of diffuse reflections and certain features of graphics hardware for glossy reflections. This results in a very fast, single-pass rendering algorithm, which even allows to dynamically vary the incident lighting.