High-dynamic-range rendering
rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in high-dynamic-range
High-dynamic-range rendering (HDRR or HDR rendering), also known as high-dynamic-range lighting, is the rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations performed in high dynamic range (HDR). This allows preservation of details that may be lost due to limiting contrast ratios. Video games and computer-generated imagery, movies, and visual effects benefit from this as it creates more realistic scenes than with more simplistic lighting models. HDRR was originally required to tone map the rendered image onto Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) displays, as the first HDR capable displays did not arrive until the 2010s. However, if a modern HDR display is available, it is possible to instead display the HDRR with even greater contrast and realism.
Graphics processor company Nvidia summarizes the motivation for HDRR in three points: bright things can be really bright, dark things can be really dark, and details can be seen in both.
History
The use of high-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI) in computer graphics was introduced by Greg Ward in 1985 with his open-source Radiance rendering and lighting simulation software which created the first file format to retain a high-dynamic-range image. HDRI languished for more than a decade, held back by limited computing power, storage, and capture methods. Not until recently has the technology to put HDRI into practical use been developed.
In 1990, Eihachiro Nakame and associates presented a lighting model for driving simulators that highlighted the need for high-dynamic-range processing in realistic simulations.
The public source identifies “High-dynamic-range rendering” as rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in high-dynamic-range. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around High-dynamic-range, rendering and computer.
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