Abstract:

Modeling and rendering clouds is an important problem in virtual reality, particularly for virtual display systems, computer games, and 3D animation. This paper studies simulation of clouds, specifically the modeling method, the lighting model and rendering efficiency. Static cloud is modeled based on a particle system. This reduces complexity of the simulation. A multiple illumination model with forward scattering is then used. Billboard and impostor techniques are used to enhance speed. The result shows that visual effect of 3D cloud scene appears quite natural, which can meet the need of real time animation on a generalpurpose computer.

Key words: particle system; cloud modeling; real time rendering; impostor technique