Monte Carlo methods for volumetric light transport simulation

1Disney Research 2Solid Angle 3Karlsruhe Institute of Technology 4Dartmouth College

In Computer Graphics Forum (Proceedings of Eurographics - State of the Art Reports), 2018

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Losses and gains of radiance due to absorption (a), scattering (b, c), and emission (d) within a differential volume element.
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Abstract

The wide adoption of path-tracing algorithms in high-end realistic rendering has stimulated many diverse research initiatives. In this paper we present a coherent survey of methods that utilize Monte Carlo integration for estimating light transport in scenes containing participating media. Our work complements the volume-rendering state-of-the-art report by Cerezo et al. [2005]; we review publications accumulated since its publication over a decade ago, and include earlier methods that are key for building light transport paths in a stochastic manner. We begin by describing analog and non-analog procedures for free-path sampling and discuss various expected-value, collision, and track-length estimators for computing transmittance. We then review the various rendering algorithms that employ these as building blocks for path sampling. Special attention is devoted to null-collision methods that utilize fictitious matter to handle spatially varying densities; we import two “next-flight” estimators originally developed in nuclear sciences. Whenever possible, we draw connections between image-synthesis techniques and methods from particle physics and neutron transport to provide the reader with a broader context.

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Jan Novák, Iliyan Georgiev, Johannes Hanika, Wojciech Jarosz. Monte Carlo methods for volumetric light transport simulation. Computer Graphics Forum (Proceedings of Eurographics - State of the Art Reports), 37(2), May 2018. 
@article{novak18monte,
    author = "Novák, Jan and Georgiev, Iliyan and Hanika, Johannes and Jarosz, Wojciech",
    title = "{{Monte}} {{Carlo}} methods for volumetric light transport simulation",
    journal = "Computer Graphics Forum (Proceedings of Eurographics - State of the Art Reports)",
    volume = "37",
    number = "2",
    month = may,
    year = "2018",
    doi = "10/gd2jqq",
    abstract = "The wide adoption of path-tracing algorithms in high-end realistic rendering has stimulated many diverse research initiatives. In this paper we present a coherent survey of methods that utilize Monte Carlo integration for estimating light transport in scenes containing participating media. Our work complements the volume-rendering state-of-the-art report by Cerezo et al. [2005]; we review publications accumulated since its publication over a decade ago, and include earlier methods that are key for building light transport paths in a stochastic manner. We begin by describing analog and non-analog procedures for free-path sampling and discuss various expected-value, collision, and track-length estimators for computing transmittance. We then review the various rendering algorithms that employ these as building blocks for path sampling. Special attention is devoted to null-collision methods that utilize fictitious matter to handle spatially varying densities; we import two “next-flight” estimators originally developed in nuclear sciences. Whenever possible, we draw connections between image-synthesis techniques and methods from particle physics and neutron transport to provide the reader with a broader context."
}
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