Interpolating specular highlights from reflectance field data

Using Gaussians to interpolate specular highlights in a Lagrangian frame of reference

Master Thesis (2025)
Author(s)

A.C. Michels (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

Contributor(s)

R. Wiersma – Mentor (ETH Zürich)

B. Usta – Mentor (TU Delft - Computer Graphics and Visualisation)

E. Eisemann – Mentor (TU Delft - Computer Graphics and Visualisation)

R. Guerra Marroquim – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Computer Graphics and Visualisation)

More Info
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Publication Year
2025
Language
English
Graduation Date
04-12-2025
Awarding Institution
Programme
Computer Science
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Abstract

Reflectance fields have a limited number of discrete lighting directions that can be used for lighting design. Multiple methods for interpolating these reflectance fields have been proposed to get an approximation of the missing lighting directions. However, these methods can struggle with specular highlights, because they are more sensitive to changes in lighting direction. We propose a method that solves this problem by representing the specular highlights as Gaussians and interpolating them, framing the problem as a Lagrangian formulation. We interpolate these Gaussians by optimizing their parameters twice: first for each lighting direction, then for every neighboring lighting direction. By doing this, we can efficiently interpolate specular highlights in real-time. This enables the designer to design the specular highlights and their movements with immediate feedback.

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