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Description
While primarily a rendering development, form.Z 6.6, includes additional improvements and enhancements, as summarized below. Global illumination (GI) in form*Z RenderZone Plus 6.5 is based on two techniques: Final Gather and Ambient Occlusion, that may also be supported by radiosity methods. All three techniques are offered through simple interfaces that allow the user to produce impressive images with accurate simulations of light, with little effort and time.
Features
Ambient occlusion (AO) is based on the assumption that all scenes have omni-directional ambient light of uniform intensity. For a given pixel, it finds if there is any object close by that occludes it and, when it does, keeps some of the ambient light from reaching it. Ambient occlusion effects are easy to control and significantly enhance the realism of a rendered image.
Final gather (FG) calculates, in addition to the direct lighting, a one bounce indirect illumination that occurs at rendering time and can be further enhanced by making use of a quick radiosity solution. Once calculated, the illumination is maintained, unless changes are made to the scene. It is very efficient in handling atmospheric and environment lights.
Radiosity's primary role is to support final gather to which it can be added directly when rendering a scene. It can also be applied independently and used as a pure radiosity analysis based rendering method, with a newly revised simpler interface.
Additional rendering enhancements include new methods for exposure correction and new shaders. The majority of these are intended to support architectural renderings. They include shingles, brick pavers,road and sidewalk paving, and frosted glass. Furthermore, a new gradient shader can generate a variety of color gradients in a surface.
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