Fast Visualization of Special Relativistic Effects on Geometry and Illumination

Abstract

This paper describes a novel rendering technique for the special relativistic visualization of the geometry and illumination of fast moving objects. The physical basis consists of the relativistic aberration of light, the Doppler effect, and the searchlight effect. They account for changes of apparent geometry, color, and brightness of the objects. The rendering technique makes use of modern computer graphics hardware, in particular texture mapping and advanced per-pixel operations, and allows the visualization of these important special relativistic effects at interactive frame rates.