Real-time Global Illumination: a quantitative measurement of approximate global illumination algorithms

Abstract

Real-time global illumination has been a goal for graphics researchers for many years. Over the years many different algorithms have been proposed to capture the complex interaction between light and an object. Comparisons between these algorithms have mostly been based on visual judgement. In this research we developed a scoring metric to quantitatively measure the visual quality of global illumination algorithms. We tested this metric on two different global illumination algorithms: Light Propagation Volumes and Voxel Cone Tracing. In the end, both algorithms scored equally well. Apart from some anomalies, the variations within the scoring are in line with the expected results.