Rendering Antialiased Shadows with Depth Maps

William T. Reeves, David H. Salesin, Robert L. Cook

Abstract:

We present a solution to the aliasing problem for shadow algorithms that use depth maps. The solution is based on a new filtering technique called percentage closer filtering. In addition to antialiasing, the improved algorithm provides soft shadow boundaries that resemble penumbrae. We describe the new algorithm in detail, demonstrate the effects of its parameters, and analysze its performance.

Paper (PDF)

Available in the Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 1987.