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A '''light field''' is a volume of light that is segmented into rays that have direction, magnitude, and optionally color. It is a method of representing [[light]] that includes the angle of each ray of light. It can be a volume of light treated as a set of [[ray]]s, or a flat surface through which different angled light travels.
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A '''light field''' is a volume of light that has rays going in various directions. A light field represents light in a way that can be viewed naturally through 3D displays. It is a volume of [[light]] that is segmented into rays that have direction, magnitude, and optionally color. It is a method of representing light that includes the angle of each ray of light. It can be a volume of light treated as a set of [[ray]]s, or a flat surface through which different angled light travels.
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A light field is the set of light rays flowing through a surface or volume from every direction. It approximately represents how light travels in physical space, from a [[ray optics]] perspective. A light field can be viewed using a [[light field photograph]]. A light field can be displayed using a [[light field display]], which is a type of [[multifocal display]]. It is possible to record a light field using a [[light field camera]], such as a camera from [[Lytro]].
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A light field is the set of light rays flowing through a surface or volume from every direction. It represents how light travels in physical space from a [[ray optics]] perspective. A light field can be viewed using a [[light field photograph]]. A light field can be displayed using a [[light field display]], which is a type of [[multifocal display]]. It is possible to record a light field using a [[light field camera]], such as a camera from [[Lytro]].
A light field can be represented using a [[plenoptic function]], which is a 5 dimensional function. A partial light field can be represented in 4 dimensions using the [[two-plane method]].<ref name="k782">{{cite conference | last=Gortler | first=Steven J. | last2=Grzeszczuk | first2=Radek | last3=Szeliski | first3=Richard | last4=Cohen | first4=Michael F. | title=The lumigraph | publisher=ACM | date=1996 | isbn=978-0-89791-746-9 | doi=10.1145/237170.237200 | page=43–54}}</ref> That can result in a 4-dimensional function. However, it may be limited in focal depth. Light fields are useful for 3D because the largest or second largest factor that determines focus is the angle of rays coming into a human eye.
A light field can be represented using a [[plenoptic function]], which is a 5 dimensional function. A partial light field can be represented in 4 dimensions using the [[two-plane method]].<ref name="k782">{{cite conference | last=Gortler | first=Steven J. | last2=Grzeszczuk | first2=Radek | last3=Szeliski | first3=Richard | last4=Cohen | first4=Michael F. | title=The lumigraph | publisher=ACM | date=1996 | isbn=978-0-89791-746-9 | doi=10.1145/237170.237200 | page=43–54}}</ref> That can result in a 4-dimensional function. However, it may be limited in focal depth. Light fields are useful for 3D because the largest or second largest factor that determines focus is the angle of rays coming into a human eye.
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The term "light field" was used by A. Gershun in a research paper.
The term "light field" was used by A. Gershun in a research paper.
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Work in computational light fields was done by [[Marc Levoy]] and [[Pat Hanrahan]].<ref name="d565">{{cite web | title=Light Field Rendering | website=
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Work in light fields generated by a computer was done by [[Pat Hanrahan]] and [[Marc Levoy]].<ref name="d565">{{cite web | title=Light Field Rendering | website=
Computer Graphics at Stanford University
Computer Graphics at Stanford University
| url=http://www-graphics.stanford.edu/papers/light/ | ref={{sfnref |
| url=http://www-graphics.stanford.edu/papers/light/ | ref={{sfnref |