They've developed a graphics algorithm that not only realistically models light reflecting off complex surfaces like water, leather, glass, and metal, but which also runs about 100 times faster than current state-of-the-art systems.

Many rendering techniques for computer graphics opt to smooth out complex and bumpy surfaces to speed up their calculations. Such techniques, the researchers responsible for the new technique tell us, were already fast enough to use in the early 80s, but the lack of detail can make those surfaces look a bit off when seen up close.

The algorithm developed by Prof. Ravi Ramamoorthi and colleagues at UCSD leads to much more realistic results because it breaks down each pixel of an uneven or intricate surface into a myriad of so-called "microfacets." Each microfacet acts like a tiny, smooth mirror, reflecting light in a particular direction. Taken together, tens of thousands of these tiny mirrors can help generate a highly realistic representation of many different surfaces.