Dynamic Optical Model for Time-Based Enhancement of Augmented Reality Environments

Dynamic lighting is essential for creating realistic day-night cycles and enhancing augmented reality (AR) experiences. In this paper, we introduce a dynamic optical model that simulates the natural progression of light from sunrise to sunset and into nighttime, bringing environments to life. Our model leverages six photographic images as backgrounds for AR scenes and incorporates advanced rendering techniques to generate textured models and geometries. These textures are enhanced using novel image processing methods to improve contrast and visibility, particularly in low-light conditions. Our algorithm ensures a seamless blend between virtual elements and the natural world by matching AR lighting conditions with the real environment. The environment's light transitions dynamically, from daylight brightness to ambient nighttime light, with the sun acting as the primary light source, rotating around the virtual world to simulate realistic lighting and shading effects. This texture-sampling-based lighting algorithm adapts to real-time conditions, interactively adjusting the lighting to enhance AR elements, highlight critical information, and create immersive, believable experiences in virtual simulations and AR applications.