Sensor Sphere for Accurate 3D Scene Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for accurately and efficiently capturing and rendering lighting, shading, and reflections in 3D scenes from different perspectives are computationally expensive and prone to inaccuracies due to the use of visual effects balls and ray-tracing techniques.
Innovation Solution
A sensor sphere with multiple sensors positioned around its surface captures light directionality, intensity, and reflectivity from various angles, providing direct and accurate measurements for rendering systems to adjust lighting and visual characteristics in 3D scenes, thereby eliminating the need for computationally expensive data mapping and ray-tracing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If visual effects balls are used to capture lighting information, then lighting and reflections can be captured from different perspectives, but the mapping process becomes computationally expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lighting measurement function from the visual effects ball approach and implements it through direct light sensing. Instead of capturing reflections off balls and performing complex mapping, the system directly measures light properties at multiple positions, eliminating the computationally expensive mapping step while maintaining accurate lighting information capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of visual effects balls with direct electronic light sensing. Rather than using physical balls and camera imaging, the system employs sensors that directly detect light properties, substituting the complex mechanical measurement and mapping process with direct electronic measurement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If visual effects balls are used to capture lighting information, then different viewing perspectives can be accounted for, but the mapped information becomes inaccurate due to lossy nature of camera imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts direct light measurement capability from the indirect ball-based system. By placing light sensors at multiple positions around the scene, the system directly captures accurate lighting information for different viewing perspectives without the lossy intermediate step of camera imaging and mapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light sensors as intermediary measurement devices positioned at multiple locations. These sensors act as direct mediators between the light sources and the recording system, eliminating the need for visual effects balls and camera imaging, thereby preserving measurement accuracy while maintaining multi-perspective coverage.
3Ease of manufacture
If ray-tracing is used to artificially light a 3D scene, then lighting can be rendered without visual effects balls, but the process remains extremely computationally expensive and may produce inaccurate lighting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lighting information directly from the scene using physical sensors, eliminating the need for computationally intensive ray-tracing simulations. By measuring actual light properties at multiple positions, the system obtains accurate lighting data without the high computational cost of artificial lighting rendering.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using ray-tracing to simulate lighting by copying light paths through complex calculations, the patent directly copies actual light properties by placing sensors in the scene. This direct copying approach captures real lighting behavior without the computational overhead of simulation.
4Illumination intensity
If visual effects balls are used to capture lighting information, then lighting data can be obtained, but the curved shape of the balls distorts the reference data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lighting measurement function away from the curved surface of visual effects balls. By positioning light sensors at multiple discrete locations around the scene, the system captures lighting data without the distorting influence of curved surfaces, thereby maintaining reference data accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the lighting measurement task by placing separate light sensors at multiple discrete positions around the scene rather than using a single curved surface. This segmentation approach allows each sensor to measure lighting at its specific location without the distortion introduced by the curved geometry of visual effects balls.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor sphere system enables efficient and accurate rendering of photorealistic lighting and reflections by directly measuring and applying actual light properties from specific angles, reducing computational effort and improving accuracy compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
A sensor sphere with multiple sensors positioned around its surface captures light directionality, intensity, and reflectivity from various angles
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor sphere may measure light and/or other properties of an environment from a multitude of angles and/or perspectives. A rendering system may obtain measurements that the sensor sphere generates as a result of measuring light in the environment from a common position and the multitude of angles and/or perspectives. The rendering system may receive image(s) that capture the environment from a first perspective, may determine a first set of the measurements that measure the lighting from the first perspective, may determine a second set of the measurements that measure the lighting from a different second perspective, may illuminate the environment from the second perspective by adjusting the lighting of the environment according to a difference between the second set of measurements and the first set of measurements, and may render the environment from the second perspective with the adjusted lighting.