Filters

Anti Noise Filter

<filter type="antinoise" name="Anti Noise" radius = "1.000000" max_delta = "0.100000">
</filter>
                         
                         

• type-antinoise: Post processes the rendered image, reducing noise resulting from too few pathlight, hemilight, or conetraced samples.

• name: Name of the filter

• radius: Amount of blur to apply to the areas considered to have noise.

• max_delta: Tolerance setting for noise. With higher values, more of the image will be considered 'noise' and will have the blur applied to them.

Depth of Field Filter

<filter type="dof" name="dof" focus = "12.5" near_blur ="10.000000" far_blur ="10.000000" scale ="2.000000">
</filter>
                         
                         

• type-dof: Post processes the rendered image, using depth information to apply an out of focus effect.

• name: Name of the filter.

• focus: Distance from the camera that is in focus (objects further away and closer than this point will be out of focus).

• near_blur: Amount to blur objects in front of the focus point.

• far_blur: Amount to blur objects behind the focus point.

• scale: Scales the area that is in focus. Higher values will decrease the effect of depth of field as the out of focus areas are pushed away from the focus area.

The Depth of Field filter is a 2D filter, i.e. a post processing technique, and as such, has advantages and disadvantages. It uses the rendered image, plus a Z Buffer (which tells the filter how far away each pixel is from the camera) to figure out which pixels are blurred or not blurred.

Because its a 2D effect it has the advantage of being extremely quick. However there are a few disadvantages:

Reflections are not blurred correctly. If you look at a reflection, you'll notice that the reflection's blur is based on the distance from the camera of the reflection plane, not the object in the reflection.

Because the DOF is done on a 2D image, rather than a 3D scene, the blur cannot know what is behind any given object, therefore often the edges of an extremely blurred object in the foreground will look smudgy or dirty.

If you keep these limitations in mind, the Depth of Field filter can produce great looking Depth of Field effects very quickly.