The synthesis
of actual and computer generated
photo-realistic images has been the aim of
artists and graphic designers for many
decades. Some of the most realistic images
(see Graphics
Gallery - simulated
steel mill) were generated using radiosity
techniques. Unlike ray tracing, radiosity
models the actual interaction between the
lights and the environment. In photo
realistic Virtual Reality (VR) environments,
the need for quick feedback based on user
actions is crucial. It is generally
recognised that traditional implementation of
radiosity is computationally very expensive
and therefore not feasible for use in VR
systems where practical data sets are of huge
complexity.
To achieve
photo-realism in images, we look into what
radiosity can offer and the current state of
art by doing a radiosity trend analysis. In
addition, we also review several acceleration
techniques which are suitable for applying
radiosity in the synthesis of VR
environments.
Finally, we
introduce two new methods and several hybrid
techniques to the radiosity research
community on using radiosity in VR
applications.
