Phase Function

A phase function describes the angular distribution of light scattered by a material, a crucial parameter in modeling light transport for applications like medical imaging and computer graphics. Current research focuses on developing more general and flexible phase function models, moving beyond simplified analytical forms like the Henyey-Greenstein function, often employing machine learning techniques such as convolutional neural networks or Gaussian mixture models to estimate the function directly from image data. Accurate phase function estimation is vital for improving the realism and accuracy of simulations and for enabling more robust inverse rendering techniques, leading to advancements in fields requiring precise light scattering modeling.