Eikonal Fields for Refractive Novel-View Synthesis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel approach for synthesizing new views of refractive objects by modeling a 3D index of refraction field and tracing light through it using eikonal equations, improving rendering of complex optical effects.

Contribution

It proposes a new method that optimizes a 3D IoR field and traces light via eikonal equations, moving beyond traditional straight-path models for refractive view synthesis.

Findings

Effective rendering of refractive effects in novel views.

Outperforms existing methods in handling complex light bending.

Provides a new framework for refractive scene modeling.

Abstract

We tackle the problem of generating novel-view images from collections of 2D images showing refractive and reflective objects. Current solutions assume opaque or transparent light transport along straight paths following the emission-absorption model. Instead, we optimize for a field of 3D-varying Index of Refraction (IoR) and trace light through it that bends toward the spatial gradients of said IoR according to the laws of eikonal light transport.