Specular (Mirror) Reflection

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Specular ( Mirror ) Reflection

When light interacts with a smooth material, the incoming energy is often reflected only in the mirror direction, which means the incoming light reflects to the surface at an equal angle. When the light hits the smooth surface it doesn't get a chance to scatter around the material so it's reflected almost equally to the angle of incidence . A mirror typically is referred to as a perfect specular reflection because it reflects light equally to the way it is incoming. A mirror has very few imperfections. Water and smooth metals are other materials that have specular reflections. The reason why you look skewed or bent out of shape when viewed through many metals is because of the surface impurities. Try to visualize the specular reflection as a small cone in the mirror direction on the material. The degree of imperfection can make the surface look glossy as well.

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Focus On Photon Mapping
Focus On Photon Mapping (Premier Press Game Development)
ISBN: 1592000088
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 128
Authors: Marlon John

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