Photorealistic Rendering of Human Hair Fibers

Photorealistic rendering of human hair has been a challenge task in computer graphics for many years. These challenges include coming up with a practical yet accurate light scattering model for individual hair fibers, handling the complex geometry of large number of hair fibers, properly simulating the global illumination and complex interaction of light and shadows between the hair strands, and overcoming aliasing problems due to the fine geometry of the hairs. In this paper, we present an overview of the physical and optical properties of human hair fibers, investigate the most prominent hair shading models, and at the end we critically analyze each shading model. We also briefly go over the approaches for simulating multiple scattering of light in hair rendering. We have implemented all of the shading models which have been discussed in the paper and we will discuss their strengths and weaknesses in detail. Furthermore, we discuss missing behaviors in current shading models compared to the experimental measurements and propose possible avenues of future research. CR Categories: I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism—Color, shading, shadowing, and texture