Zero-variance Transmittance Estimation

d'Eon, Eugene; Novák, Jan

Zero-variance Transmittance Estimation

Files

015-020.pdf (252.56 KB)

Date

2021

Authors

d'Eon, Eugene
Novák, Jan

Publisher

The Eurographics Association

Abstract

We apply zero-variance theory to the Volterra integral formulation of volumetric transmittance.We solve for the guided sampling decisions in this framework that produce zero-variance ratio tracking and next-flight ratio tracking estimators. In both cases, a zero-variance estimate arises by colliding only with the null particles along the interval. For ratio tracking, this is equivalent to residual ratio tracking with a perfect control. The next-flight zero-variance estimator is of the collision type and can only produce zero-variance estimates if the random walk never terminates. In drawing these new connections, we enrich the theory of Monte Carlo transmittance estimation and provide a new rigorous path-stretching interpretation of residual ratio tracking.

        @inproceedings{10.2312:sr.20211286
,
booktitle = {Eurographics Symposium on Rendering - DL-only Track
},
editor = {Bousseau, Adrien and McGuire, Morgan
},
title = {{Zero-variance Transmittance Estimation
}},
author = {d'Eon, Eugene and 
Novák, Jan
},
year = {2021
},
publisher = {The Eurographics Association
},
ISSN = {1727-3463
},
ISBN = {978-3-03868-157-1
},
DOI = {10.2312/sr.20211286
}
}