Spatiotemporal sensistivity and visual attention for efficient rendering of dynamic environments

Abstract

We present a method to accelerate global illumination computation in dynamic environments by taking advantage of limitations of the human visual system. A model of visual attention is used to locate regions of interest in a scene and to modulate spatiotemporal sensitivity. The method is applied in the form of a spatiotemporal error tolerance map. Perceptual acceleration combined with good sampling protocols provide a global illumination solution feasible for use in animation. Results indicate an order of magnitude improvement in computational speed. The method is adaptable and can also be used in image-based rendering, geometry level of detail selection, realistic image synthesis, video telephony and video compression.