Global photon map examples

Example 1: What is the photon map?

Example 2: Lights and photons

Example 2: Search distance, Max photons and Max density

Example 3: Photon bounces

Example 4: Convex hull area estimate

Example 5: Convert to irradiance map

Example 6: Combining the global photon map with the irradiance map

 

Example 1: What is the photon map?

The photon map is a rough approximation of the illumination in the scene; it is computed by tracing the path of particles (photons) which are emitted by the lights in the scene and bouncing around when they hit objects. Here is a simple scene and a visualization of the photon map for it: