WindLightTM Technology

Physically Correct Lighting

At the heart of WindLight is a physically-correct model of how light actually behaves in the outdoors. Beyond simple scattering equations, WindLight takes into account over twenty lighting parameters, each of which map to real-world light contributors in the Earth's atmosphere. These parameters include:

• In-Scattering and Out-Scattering, General Attenuation, Color Convergence, Rayleigh and Mie approximation
• Sun Coloration, Sun Intensity, Sun Angles and Horizon Drop, Sunlight Attenuation
• Cloud Density, Cloud Lighting, Cloud Shadowing, Cloud Coloration
• Self Shadowing, Blue Densities, Horizon Densities, Haze Densities, Haze Coloration, Ambient Coloration

The result is a remarkably accurate rendering system that captures every nuance of outdoor terrain:

Atmosphere

Haze, fog, and subtle natural phenomena are accurately rendered, and all elements of a scene are lit by particles in the air:

Sunlight

Any time of day, from dawn to twilight, can be represented in WindLight. WindLight's solar lighting system handles shadows correctly, with bright sun flares and stunningly realistic sunsets:

Clouds

WindLight comes with a sample cloud system which simulates cumulus and stratus cloud formations. Cloud shadows are cast on the terrain and sunlight is accurately scattered by cloud cover. WindLight can be used in conjunction with your existing 2D, 2.5D, and 3D cloud systems. Given the clouds' distance from the camera, WindLight does the rest:

Water

WindLight also includes a model for dynamic water, with reflections, refractions, and turbulence. Any reflective or specular water system can be used, and can benefit tremendously from reflecting a WindLight-rendered scene:

Weather

WindLight can significantly enhance particle-based weather systems, and includes a sample dynamic weather framework. The scene can instantly shift from a bright autumn day to intense storm conditions, with adjustable particle density, direction, and flow. Rain, snow, sleet, and blinding dust storms- both natural and manmade- are all rendered correctly by WindLight:

Manmade Objects

WindLight renders all vehicles, buildings, and man-made objects automatically, without the need for any additional processes:

Manmade Lighting

WindLight can be integrated with artificial light sources, including runway and city lights:

FLIR and NVG

WindLight works with various filter effects, such as Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) and Night Vision Goggles (NVG). With WindLight handling the visible spectrum, FLIR and NVG can work effectively in the rendering pipeline:

Ease of Use

New scenarios are easy to create in the WindLight Development Environment. Atmospheric, cloud, sunlight, and water conditions are all modifiable using an interactive slider system. New training scenarios can be created and saved easily at runtime. WindLight is written on a very lightweight, extendable architecture, and can be used in conjunction with nearly any simulator system running on OpenGL or Direct3D.

Sample Scenes I >>