Dynamic Global Illumination for Interactive Gaussian Splatting Scenes in Real Time

Area of Science:

• Computer Graphics
• Real-time Rendering
• Global Illumination

Background:

• Interactive and dynamic scenes require efficient global illumination approximations.
• Existing methods struggle with complex scenes involving 3D Gaussian models and conventional meshes.
• Real-time global illumination (RTGI) is crucial for immersive visual experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a real-time pipeline for approximating global illumination in scenes with 3D Gaussians and meshes.
• To address performance challenges in rendering dynamic scenes with complex lighting.
• To enable real-time rendering of interactive scenes with editable elements and advanced light transport.

Main Methods:

• Formulated a surface light transport model specifically for 3D Gaussians.
• Developed a fast compound stochastic ray-tracing algorithm.
• Implemented a hardware 3D Gaussian rasterizer and multiple RTGI techniques for 3D Gaussians.

Main Results:

• Achieved real-time rendering of interactive scenes with editable materials, lights, meshes, and 3D Gaussian models.
• Effectively captured multi-bounce diffuse and one-bounce glossy light transport.
• Demonstrated efficient real-time global illumination for both 3D Gaussian models and hybrid mesh-based models.

Conclusions:

• The proposed pipeline successfully enables real-time global illumination for dynamic scenes incorporating 3D Gaussians.
• 3D Gaussians show significant potential for real-time global illumination applications.
• The approach offers valuable insights into performance optimization for rendering complex scenes.