USING RAY TRACING ALGORITHM FOR RENDERING OF THERMAL IMAGE OF 3D OBJECTS

Abstract

This paper introduces the ray tracing method and algorithm for calculation of thermal radiant flux onto the focal plane array and generation of thermal images. Ray tracing is a powerful method for rendering of 3D objects and scenes on to the image plane of the camera. Besides, the method is used in the area of computer graphics but rarely is introduced in the domain of thermal imaging simulation. The author also has simulated thermal images of ground targets and compared them with real experiment test. Finally, the paper collates two simulation methods for generation of thermal images: the ray tracing method and the pseudo colour method.