A Modified Beckmann–Kirchhoff Surface Scatter Model

Two distinct camps of researchers have developed in the area of surface scatter phenomena. First, there are the theoretically inclined scientists or applied mathematicians who are perhaps drawn to the investigation of surface scatter phenomena because it is an area of practical interest that is mathematically and theoretically challenging. Second, there are the researchers in computer vision and computer animation who are less interested in rigorously solving the surface scatter problem. Their primary concern is merely having a surface scatter model that results in the realistic rendering of surfaces, textures, objects, and scenes under a wide variety of illumination conditions. This second group evaluated, implemented, and referenced an empirically modified Beckmann–Kirchhoff (BK) model reported in a nonpeer- reviewed conference proceedings in 1998. This empirically modified BK model was quantitatively compared to both the Rayleigh–Rice (RR) and the classical BK theories and eventually published in the archival literature.