Experimental and Theoretical Basis for a Closed-Form Spectral BRDF Model
Abstract
The microfacet class of BRDF models is frequently used to calculate optical scatter from realistic surfaces using geometric optics, but has the disadvantage of not being able to consider wavelength dependence. This dissertation works toward development of a closed-form approximation to the BRDF that is suitable for hyperspectral remote sensing by presenting measured BRDF data of 12 different materials at four different incident angles and up to seven different wavelengths between 3.39 and 10.6 micrometer. The data was intended to be fit to various microfacet BRDF models to determine an appropriate form of the wavelength scaling. However, when fitting the microfacet models to measured data, the results indicated a breakdown in the microfacet model itself. To overcome this deficiency, elements of microfacet BRDF models are compared to elements of scalar wave optics BRDF models, which inherently contain a wavelength dependence. This analysis led to a theoretical understanding of how to modify microfacet BRDF models to maintain the simplicity of a closed-form model, while better approximating the underlying physics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 17, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA626700
Entities
People
- Samuel D. Butler
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology