Software Simulation of Water Surface Optical Glitter

Sponsor
Areté Associates
Year
1997 – 1998
Advisor
  • Gregory (Greg) A. Lyzenga

The clinic team investigated and developed models for the reflection of the sun off the ocean's surface to create an improved “glitter” routine for Arete Associates' RenderWorld, their software package for modeling natural scenes. Current software techniques do not allow for efficient simulations of light reflection off small-scale water waves (referred to as glitter) because it is too computationally intensive. The team developed a software implementation of its recommended solution to Arete Associates. Images generated using the RenderWorld's package will be shown.

The Physics Clinic program presents opportunities for students to work on practical projects relevant to industrial work. Students work on teams of 3–5 on a sponsored research or development project.