Tone Reproduction for Interactive Walkthroughs

When a rendering algorithm has created a pixel array of radiance values the task of producing an image is not yet completed. In fact, to visualize the result the radiance values still have to be mapped to luminances, which can be reproduced by the used display. This step is performed with the help of tone reproduction operators. These tools have mainly been applied to still images, but of course they are just as necessary for walkthrough applications, in which several images are created per second. In this paper we illuminate the physiological aspects of tone reproduction for interactive applications. It is shown how tone reproduction can also be introduced into interactive radiosity viewers, where the tone reproduction continuously adjusts to the current view of the user. The overall performance is decreased only moderately, still allowing walkthroughs of large scenes.