Rendering Imperfections: Dust, Scratches, Aging,.

In order to incrase the realism of an image or a scene in a computer-graphics application, so-called “imperfections” are often used during rendering. These are techniques which add details like dirt, scratches, dust or aging effects to the models and textures. Realism is improved through imperfections since computer generated models are usually too “perfect” to be accepted as “realistic” by human observers. By making them, for example, dusty and scratched, people can imagine them being part of their real world much more easily. This article gives an overview of currently used imperfections techniques and algorithms. Topics like textures, scratches, aging, dust, weathering, lichen growth and terrain erosion are covered. CR Categories: I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: ThreeDimensional Graphics and Realism—Color, shading, shadowing, and texture