Efficient rendering of local subsurface scattering

A novel approach is presented to efficiently render local subsurface scattering effects. We introduce an important sampling scheme for a practical subsurface scattering model. It leads to a simple and efficient rendering algorithm, which operates in image-space, and which is even amenable for implementation on graphics hardware. We demonstrate the applicability of our technique to the problem of skin rendering, for which the subsurface transport of light typically remains local. Our implementation shows that plausible images can be rendered interactively using hardware acceleration.