Monte Carlo Methods and the Challenge of Photo-Realism in Computer Graphics
Steven P. Collins, Ivan E. Sutherland · 1998
Computer Graphics have come a long way since the pioneering work of Ivan Sutherland in the early 60's and his SketchPad software developed during his postgraduate research studies at MIT. This system used a vector-based Cathode Ray Tube with a prototype "light-pen" device with which users of the system could draw line based images on the display. In more recent times, computer graphics are not simply an interface between human and computer but a tool for visualisation, expression and communication. There have been many goals for the computer graphics industry and academic community: to simplify the interface to the computer; to allow manipulation and visualisation of data in a meaningful and insightful manner; to facilitate medical exploration of the human body; to provide faster drawing speeds for real-time applications including simulators and games. The dominant objective, however, has remained the attainment of realism. If we have truly realistic computer graphics we can create d...