Surface appearance modeling has drawn much attention from researchers since the dawn of computer graphics . Appearance models are closely related to geometry. There are three levels of scales in geometry, namely, the macrostructure level, the mesostructure level and the microstructure level. A geometric model usually refers to the macrostructure level, and is often specified as a set of polygonal and/or curved surfaces. The mesostructure level includes geometric details that are relatively small but still visible such as bumps and dents on a concrete surface. The microstructure level involves surface microfacets that are visually indistinguishable by human eyes. The last two levels of geometry contribute to surface appearance properties. For instance, bump maps are used to model the mesostructure level while BRDFs model the microstructure level.
自计算机图形学诞生以来,表面形貌建模一直受到研究者的广泛关注。外观模型与几何关系密切。几何结构有三个层次,即宏观层次、中观层次和微观层次。几何模型通常指的是宏观结构层次,通常指的是一组多边形和/或曲面。中观结构层次包括相对较小但仍然可见的几何细节,如混凝土表面上的凸起和凹痕。微观结构层面包括肉眼难以分辨的表面微观层面。最后两个层次的几何有助于表面的外观属性。例如,凹凸贴图用于模拟细观结构水平,而BRDFs用于模拟微观结构水平。