Is there a way to simulate subsurface scattering?

Is there a way to simulate subsurface scattering?

Most modern engines rely on massive simplifications that, despite being unable to reproduce photorealism, can produce a believable approximation. This tutorial introduces a fast, cheap and convincing solution that can be used to simulate translucent materials which exhibit subsurface scattering. This is a two part series: Part 1.

How does subsurface scattering cause a diffuse glow?

When light hits the surface of a translucent material, a part propagates inside, bouncing between the molecules until it finds its way out. This often causes light absorbed at a specific point to be reemitted somewhere else. Subsurface scattering results in a diffuse glow that can be seen in materials such as skin, marble, and milk.

How is subsurface scattering related to other optical phenomena?

This often prevents from achieving other optical phenomena, such as subsurface scattering. When light hits the surface of a translucent material, a part propagates inside, bouncing between the molecules until it finds its way out. This often causes light absorbed at a specific point to be reemitted somewhere else.

Who was the first person to use subsurface scattering?

Eugene d’Eon and David Luebke were able to show that it could also work in real-time on (at the time) high-end GPUs, and in the process they were able to create some visuals that are still impressive today.

How does a shader work in real time?

To understand why, we first need to look at how most shaders work. In the realm of real-time rendering, GPUs expect a shader to be able to calculate the final colour of a material simply using local properties. For each vertex, shaders are designed to efficiently access only the properties that are local to that vertex.

When was bidirectional surface scattering introduced to graphics?

Most of the work in this area stems from Jensen’s paper published back in 2001, which was the first to introduce the concept of a Bidirectional Surface Scattering Distribution Function (BSSDF) to the graphics world.