A Physically Plausible Model for Light Emission from Glowing Solid Objects

Abstract

The emissive properties of glowing solid objects appear to be something that the graphics community has not considered in depth before. While the volumetric emission of plasma, i.e. flames, has been discussed numerous times, and while the emission characteristics of entire luminaires can be handled via IESNA profiles, the exact appearance of glowing solid objects appears to have eluded detailed scrutiny so far. In this paper, we discuss the theoretical background to thermally induced light emission of objects, describe how one can handle this behaviour with very little effort in a physically based rendering system, and provide examples for the visual importance of handling this in a plausible fashion.