Hierarchical Higher Order Face Cluster Radiosity

We present an algorithm for simulating diffuse interreflection in scenes composed of highly tessellated objects. The method is a higher order extension of the face cluster radiosity technique. It combines face clustering, multiresolution visibility, vector radiosity, and higher order bases with a modified progressive shooting iteration to rapidly produce visually continuous solutions with limited memory requirements. The output of the method is a vector irradiance map that partitions input models into areas where global illumination is well approximated using the selected basis. The OpenGL register combiners extension can be used to render illuminated models directly from the vector irradiance map, exploiting hardware acceleration for computing vertex radiosity on commodity graphics boards.