ILLUMINATION MODEL

An illumination model is a formula in variables associated to the surface properties and light
conditions to calculate the intensity of light reflected from a point on a surface.
A simple 3 parameter model comprised of 3 illumination terms
1. Diffuse: non-shiny illumination and shadows
2. Specular: shiny reflections
3. Ambient: background illumination

Ambient Light (Model 1)

This is a case of diffuse, non-directional source oflight. This results from the effect of multiple
reflections of light from many surfaces present in the environment.
Ambient light is assumed to impinge equally on all surfaces from all directions.
The illumination equation is
Iamb=IaKa
Ia is the intensity of the ambient light and is assumed to be constant for all objects.
Ka is the ambient-reflection coefficient (0≤Ka≤1), a property of the material.

Diffuse Reflection (Model 2)

Assume a point light source, whose rays emanate uniformly in all directions from a single point.
The object’s brightness varies from one place to another, depending on the direction of the light
source (and also distance to some extent).
A Lambertian surface (examples: dull, matte surfaces, snow, chalk, projection and movie screens,
unifomly painted walls etc.) exhibits diffuse reflection.
These surfaces appear equally bright from all viewing angles, because they reflect light with equal
intensity in all directions.
For a Lambertian surface, the amount of light seen by the viewer is independent of the viewer’s
direction as follows:
Idiff=IpKdcos(θ)
Idiff is the reflected light intensity.
Ip is the pont light source’s intensity,
θ is the angle between normal vector and direction to light source
00≤θ≤900
Kd is the Diffuse reflection coefficient (0≤Kd≤1).
[Note that there is no dependence on the angle between the direction to
the camera and the surface normal.]
If the unit vectors representing surface normal and incident light directions are N and L respectively
then the above equation can be rewritten as
Idiff=IIKd(N·L)

Specular Reflected Light (Model 3)

Specular reflection is observed on ahifshiny surface.
Shiny surface reflects light unequally in different directions. Mirror is an example of a
perfect shiny surface. Other examples of shiny (imperfect, non-mirror type) surfaces
are; apple, shiny plastics, gold and silver coated metal surfaces etc,
Ispec = IpKscosnα
Ip is the light intensity
α is the angle between reflection vector and direction to camera (α≠0)
Ks is the specular reflection coefficient (0≤Ks≤1).
n is the specular intensity
(This model is known by Phong Model)
If the light source is at infinity, the angle given by N.L is constant, whereas R.V
varies across a polygon.
For curved surfaces and light source at a finite distance both these factors vary across a surface.