Analysis of Harmonic Mean Distance Calculation in Global Illumination Algorithms
Deukhyun Cha, Insung Ihm · 2010
In order to render global illumination realistically, we need to accurately compute the direct and indirect illumination that represents the light information incoming through complex light paths. In this process, the indirect illumination at given point is greatly affected by surrounding geometries. Harmonic mean distance is a mathematical tool which is often used as a metric indicating the distance from a surface point to its visible objects in 3D space, and plays a key role in such advanced global illumination algorithms as irradiance/radiance caching and ambient occlusion. In this paper, we analyze the accuracy of harmonic mean distance estimated against various environments in the final gathering and photon mapping methods. Based on the experimental results, we discuss our experiences and future directions that may help develop an effective harmonic mean distance computation method in the future.