Artist's Comments: Here, ince again is my version of the Cornell Box.. the famed global illumination scene developed by Cornell University to help understandhow light really works and looks then apply that in thier CG lighting schemes.

This scene, which I have rendered in past versions of Strata before, is particularly special because not only does it show how Strata's Radiosity engine can be used to render an enclosed room lit by just one small glow panel (in the light above), but, do it quickly (22 minutes) and with accurate caustics (note the square shape of the caustic to match the shape of the light source) and soft shadows.

This particular scene uses 2000 diffuse samples, 9 diffuse bounces, and no other light source (not even the ambiant light) except for the glowlight above, which is set to a glow of "30".

And the soft shadows add to the total realism, of course.

One note about glass: I have desgined and typically use two glass textures.. a thin walled one (for glasses, bottles, cups, windows, etc.) and a thick glass (for spheres and large objects); the glass sphere here uses the "thick walled" texture to properly emulate the room around it in its reflection.