Real-Time High Dynamic Range Texture Mapping

This paper presents a technique for representing and displaying high dynamic-range texture maps (HDRTMs) using current graphics hardware. Dynamic range in real-world environments often far exceeds the range representable in 8-bit per-channel texture maps. The increased realism afforded by a highdynamic range representation provides improved fidelity and expressiveness for interactive visualization of image-based models. Our technique allows for realtime rendering of scenes with arbitrary dynamic range, limited only by available texture memory. In our technique, high-dynamic range textures are decomposed into sets of 8bit textures. These 8-bit textures are dynamically reassembled by the graphics hardware’s programmable multitexturing system or using multipass techniques and framebuffer image processing. These operations allow the exposure level of the texture to be adjusted continuously and arbitrarily at the time of rendering, correctly accounting for the gamma curve and dynamic ran...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2001
• Where: RT
• Authors: Jonathan Cohen, Chris Tchou, Tim Hawkins, Paul E. Debevec
• Keywords: Computer Graphics, Dynamic Range, Graphics Hardware, RT 2001, Texture Maps