(Left) Photo captured through the window of a train using a common handheld device and viewed through the polarising lens of a pair of sunglasses. The window exhibits stress-induced birefringence which gives rise to the visible iridescence. Notice that the visual effect is most powerful when the incident light is reflected off the road as light reflected around the Brewster’s angle is strongly polarized. (Right) An optically anisotropic slab rendered using our method and exhibiting iridescence induced by birefringence as well. Incident light was assumed to be partially polarized.
Abstract
Optical phenomena that are only observable in optically anisotropic materials are generally ignored in the computer graphics. However, such optical effects are not restricted to exotic materials and can also be observed with common translucent objects when optical anisotropy is induced, e.g. via mechanical stress. Furthermore accurate prediction and reproduction of those optical effects has important practical applications. We provide a short but complete analysis of the relevant electromagnetic theory of light propagation in optically anisotropic media and derive the full set of formulations required to render birefringent materials. We then present a novel method for spectral integration of refraction and reflection in an anisotropic slab. Our approach allows fast and robust rendering of birefringence-induced iridescence in a physically faithful manner and is applicable to both real-time and offline rendering.
