An imitation of realistic subsurface scattering texture for physically based rendering workflow
Hong-Yi Pai · 2019
Recently, physically based rendering (PBR) [1] has become popular with respect to visual realism in the computer graphics field. PBR model is more of a ray tracing calculation than a legacy Lambert or Phong model. This technique has become the industry standard for movies and video game developments. This paper refers to a simple model for subsurface light transport in translucent materials with respect to the PBR system. We attempt to simulate a realistic subsurface scattering by choosing to mimic a cake-surface texture, which has a sophisticated translucent material, and nest-like structure that can demonstrate the characteristics of the bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF). We used the Arnold engine with 3ds max software for Monte Carlo ray-tracing calculation in CPU. We compared the difference between the photo-scanning map and the procedural shader, which were fed into the displacement channel to achieve a random organic texture of a cake-surface. This approach showed the advantages and disadvantages of these different situations in the PBR workflow. With the knowledge of the examining mathematical model of PBR, we describe that the PBR theory and the practical aspect to validate this procedural shader, can provide more advantages in a variety of material mimic. Finally, the workflow of the experiment can help 3D artists design realistic looking surfaces as effortlessly as possible based on physically accurate formulas.