Cheap Subsurface Scattering

Realtime SSS written in GLSL. It is a variant of this shader (credits to InvalidPointer):
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=481494

For those who do not know what sub-surface scattering is, its a kind of light transport in which light enters an object, scatters inside it and then exits the object. It is a visible effect in lots of common materials, such as rubber, marble, wax, or human skin: Have you ever looked at someone´s ear while a light source is behind the ear? it looks translucent due to sss.

This glsl shader fakes it using an artist-made texture which defines, for each pixel, the scatter color and the thickness of the object (It would be possible to accurately calculate this thickness in realtime by rendering the zdepth two times from the light pov for front and back faces of the object, and then subtracting the two). Then it computes the lighting using that data, along with light direction, object normals and view direction. It is a very cheap effect, comparable to usual phong lighting w/ normal mapping.

Along with sss, in the video you can see ssao (screen space ambient occlusion) and parallax bump mapping.

(Sorry for the video quality, i´m not very good at making videos for youtube.)

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ssshopp2

[TriKri]

It looks like penises with legs

[arkano22]

@TriKri LOL

[90158160]

@TriKri

LOL

[FrankDodd]

i would disagree with the fake comment the effect looks very convincing, and thanks for the clear and complete description.

[knabbers]

really like this! impressed

[lord3zz]

so cheap

[Fluffishy]

You have learned well, grasshopper.

[d3tach3d]

nice. it is a cheap fast way to render it.

[Capeau]

looks verry fake though

[owchywawa]

LOL!