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Multisampling-depth soft shadow based on cascaded area light source

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Abstract

Reproducing correct soft shadows in interactive applications is accomplished by gathering multiple samples of the area light source. The size of the penumbra region is unpredictable, so the required sample density should be high to ensure soft shadow transitions in all configurations of the area light size. Therefore, multiple shadow maps must be evaluated for each scene configuration, which leads to performance degradation. To tackle the challenge, we propose a novel technique based on the multisampling depth, which approximates soft shadows for large, fully dynamic scenes at interactive frame rates. Our algorithm can perform multiple depth tests for each pixel in the shadow map. We effectively reduce the number of samples of zone light to avoid other rendering passes. We reuse shadow maps for other light source sampling setups without performing additional scene rendering while maintaining real-time performance. Our approach fits well in existing rendering pipelines and improves the robustness of many different soft shadow techniques.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, LESIA Laboratory and University of Mohamed Khider, B.P 145, 07000, Biskra, Algeria

    Abd El Mouméne Zerari, Mohamed Nadjib Meadi & Mohamed Chaouki Babahenini

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  1. Abd El Mouméne Zerari
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Zerari, A.E.M., Meadi, M.N. & Babahenini, M.C. Multisampling-depth soft shadow based on cascaded area light source. Vis Comput 40, 1339–1357 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00371-023-02852-8

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