Chrome, Gold and Silver on the Screen

Abstract

A plausible rendering of metallic effects on a computer display is of high importance for 3D representations—as used in advertising and sales—and for pre-visualizing print designs that include special inks such as gold and/or silver. A human viewer recognizes these materials by their specific reflection properties. Hence, simulating them requires taking the illumination from the environment and the position of the viewer’s head into account. We demonstrate that this can be achieved in a Web-based application that leverages the webcam installed on the user’s computer. Thus, metallic color effects can be made available almost ubiquitously, in particular in Web shops.