These mathematical figures are called “nephroid curves” because they sometimes have a kidney-like shape, and they’re called “caustics” because they’re focused rays, so they could potentially burn something (but dang, the won’t keep my coffee hot).Note that in the photo there’s also a caustic halo bouncing off the outside of the mug, too. Any time you’ve got glass or metal objects in direct sunlight, there will be lots of caustic effects all over the place.
The giveaway that it’s a caustic effect (as opposed to plain old reflected light or highlights) is that the light is focused into a definite shape with a bright line or edge around it.
And now you have a topic that you can try out at the coffee machine to find out who are your kindred visual geeks.
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Previously on GurneyJourney: Caustics, Caustic Reflections
Wikipedia on optical caustic effects and nephroid geometry.
CG Caustic rendering tutorial
I think "Nephroid Caustics" would make a great band name.
ReplyDeleteAlso, love the series on caustics. Good info for the details that make an image feel real even if the viewer doesn't directly notice them.
James,
ReplyDeleteI dig this kind of stuff. Thanks to you I am fast becoming the geekiest kid on my block.
So that's what those things are called. They look like those shapes made by magnifying glasses that will start a fire. I used to light my dad's cigarette butts on the driveway when I was nine. I would puff away like a little train. Where were my parents??? Thanks for the cool little science experiment.
ReplyDeleteFascinating information; I had no idea of the proper scientific nomenclature of these phenomena. I also had little idea exactly how they worked, so this was quite enlightening.
ReplyDelete