Efficient rendering of caustics with streamed photon mapping

In this paper, we present the streamed photon mapping method for enhancing the rendering of caustics. In order to achieve a realistic caustic effect, global illumination methods require additional data, which are gathered by creating a caustic map or increasing the number of samples used for rendering. Our method employs a stream of photons with a varying luminance level depending on the material properties of the surface. The application of a concentrated photon stream provides the ability to render caustics effectively without increasing the number of photons in a photon map. Such an approach increases visibility of results, while also allowing for faster computations.