Using a genetic algorithm for the procedural generation of layered materials for real-time rendering

The use of Procedural Content Generation techniques in the production of video games has seen a large diffusion in the last years. However, in the Computer Graphics field, very few works have addressed the procedural generation of Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Functions for complex materials. In this paper, we present a method for the automatic generation of realistic layered materials, based on the application of a Genetic Algorithm. We show that, with the proposed approach, it is possible to generate several instances of a target material, maintaining a desired level of closeness to the original simulated interaction between the light and the surface, but introducing also a controlled amount of differences in the final perceived appearance.