A principal aim of computer graphics is to generate images that look as real as photographs. Realistic computer graphics imagery has however proven to be quite challenging to produce, since the appearance of materials arises from complicated physical processes that are difficult to analytically model and simulate, and image-based modeling of real material samples is often impractical due to the high-dimensional space of appearance data that needs to be acquired. This book presents a general framework based on the inherent coherency in the appearance data of materials to make image-based appearance modeling more tractable. We observe that this coherence manifests itself as low-dimensional structure in the appearance data, and by identifying this structure we can take advantage of it to simplify the major processes in the appearance modeling pipeline. This framework consists of two key components, namely the coherence structure and the accompanying reconstruction method to fully recover the low-dimensional appearance data from sparse measurements. Our investigation of appearance coherency has led to three major forms of low-dimensional coherence structure and three types of coherency-based reconstruction upon which our framework is built. This coherence-based approach can be comprehensively applied to all the major elements of image-based appearance modeling, from data acquisition of real material samples to user-assisted modeling from a photograph, from synthesis of volumes to editing of material properties, and from efficient rendering algorithms to physical fabrication of objects. In this book we present several techniques built on this coherency framework to handle various appearance modeling tasks both for surface reflections and subsurface scattering, the two primary physical components that generate material appearance. We believe that coherency-based appearance modeling will make it easier and more feasible for practitioners to bring computer graphics imagery to life. This book is aimed towards readers with an interest in computer graphics. In particular, researchers, practitioners and students will benefit from this book by learning about the underlying coherence in appearance structure and how it can be utilized to improve appearance modeling. The specific techniques presented in our manuscript can be of value to anyone who wishes to elevate the realism of their computer graphics imagery. For understanding this book, an elementary background in computer graphics is assumed, such as from an introductory college course or from practical experience with computer graphics.

This thesis presents methods for photorealistic rendering of virtual objects so that they can be seamlessly composited into images of the real world. To generate predictable and consistent results, we study physically based methods, which simulate how light propagates in a mathematical model of the augmented scene. This computationally challenging problem demands both efficient and accurate simulation of the light transport in the scene, as well as detailed modeling of the geometries, illumination conditions, and material properties. In this thesis, we discuss and formulate the challenges inherent in these steps and present several methods to make the process more efficient. In particular, the material contained in this thesis addresses four closely related areas: HDR imaging, IBL, reflectance modeling, and efficient rendering. The thesis presents a new, statistically motivated algorithm for HDR reconstruction from raw camera data combining demosaicing, denoising, and HDR fusion in a single processing operation. The thesis also presents practical and robust methods for rendering with spatially and temporally varying illumination conditions captured using omnidirectional HDR video. Furthermore, two new parametric BRDF models are proposed for surfaces exhibiting wide angle gloss. Finally, the thesis also presents a physically based light transport algorithm based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods that allows approximations to be used in place of exact quantities, while still converging to the exact result. As illustrated in the thesis, the proposed algorithm enables efficient rendering of scenes with glossy transfer and heterogenous participating media.

This Open Access book discusses an extension to low-coherence interferometry by dispersion-encoding. The approach is theoretically designed and implemented for applications such as surface profilometry, polymeric cross-linking estimation and the determination of thin-film layer thicknesses. During a characterization, it was shown that an axial measurement range of 79.91 μm with an axial resolution of 0.1 nm is achievable. Simultaneously, profiles of up to 1.5 mm in length were obtained in a scan-free manner. This marked a significant improvement in relation to the state-of-the-art in terms of dynamic range. Also, the axial and lateral measurement range were decoupled partially while functional parameters such as surface roughness were estimated. The characterization of the degree of polymeric cross-linking was performed as a function of the refractive index. It was acquired in a spatially-resolved manner with a resolution of 3.36 x 10-5. This was achieved by the development of a novel mathematical analysis approach.

This article aims to create a theoretical evaluation model based on decision support methods for the residential house construction materials and elements selection.

This book surveys the state of the art in multidimensional, physically-correct visual texture modeling. Features: reviews the entire process of texture synthesis, including material appearance representation, measurement, analysis, compression, modeling, editing, visualization, and perceptual evaluation; explains the derivation of the most common representations of visual texture, discussing their properties, advantages, and limitations; describes a range of techniques for the measurement of visual texture, including BRDF, SVBRDF, BTF and BSSRDF; investigates the visualization of textural information, from texture mapping and mip-mapping to illumination- and view-dependent data interpolation; examines techniques for perceptual validation and analysis, covering both standard pixel-wise similarity measures and also methods of visual psychophysics; reviews the applications of visual textures, from visual scene analysis in medical applications, to high-quality visualizations in the automotive industry.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "State-of-the-Art Sensors Technology in Spain 2017" that was published in Sensors

This volume highlights the latest developments and trends in advanced non-classical materials and structures. It presents the developments of advanced materials and respective tools to characterize and predict the material properties and behavior. It also includes original, theoretical, and important experimental results that use non-routine method