Zhou, Sizhuo, Sun, Yuou, Deng, Bailin  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0158-7670 and Zhang, Juyong
2025.
Computational caustic design for surface light source.
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
10.1109/TVCG.2025.3633081
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Abstract
Designing freeform surfaces to control light based on real-world illumination patterns is challenging, as existing caustic lens designs often assume oversimplified point or parallel light sources. We propose representing surface light sources using an optimized set of point sources, whose parameters are fitted to the real light source's illumination using a novel differentiable rendering framework. Our physically-based rendering approach simulates light transmission using flux, without requiring prior knowledge of the light source's intensity distribution. To efficiently explore the light source parameter space during optimization, we apply a contraction mapping that converts the constrained problem into an unconstrained one. Using the optimized light source model, we then design the freeform lens shape considering flux consistency and normal integrability. Simulations and physical experiments show our method more accurately represents real surface light sources compared to point-source approximations, yielding caustic lenses that produce images closely matching the target light distributions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Status: | In Press |
| Schools: | Schools > Computer Science & Informatics |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software |
| Publisher: | IEEE |
| ISSN: | 1077-2626 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 12 November 2025 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 11 November 2025 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Nov 2025 10:45 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/182369 |
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