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Importance ordering for real-time depth of field

  • Session CG2b — Simulation & Animation
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Image Analysis Applications and Computer Graphics (ICSC 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1024))

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Abstract

Depth of field (DOF) is an important component of real photography. As such, it is a valuable addition to the library of techniques used in photorealistic rendering. Several methods have been proposed for implementing DOF effects. Unfortunately, all existing methods require a great deal of computation. This prohibitive cost has precluded DOF effects from being used with any great regularity. This paper introduces a new way of computing DOF that is particularly effective for sequences of related frames (animations). It computes the most noticeable DOF effects first, and works on areas of lesser importance only if there is enough time. Areas that do not change between frames are not computed. At any point, the computation can be interrupted and the results displayed. Varying the interruption point allows a smooth trade-off between image accuracy and result speed. If enough time is provided, the algorithm generates the exact solution. Practically, this algorithm avoids the continual recomputing of large numbers of unchanging pixels. This can provide order-of-magnitude speedups in many common animation situations. This increase in speed brings DOF effects into the realm of real-time graphics.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Paul Fearing

Authors
  1. Paul Fearing
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Editor information

Roland T. Chin Horace H. S. Ip Avi C. Naiman Ting-Chuen Pong

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Fearing, P. (1995). Importance ordering for real-time depth of field. In: Chin, R.T., Ip, H.H.S., Naiman, A.C., Pong, TC. (eds) Image Analysis Applications and Computer Graphics. ICSC 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1024. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60697-1_124

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60697-1_124

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60697-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49298-6

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