1.3.6.7 Media and photons

The photon mapping technique can be used in POV-Ray for making stunningly beautiful images with light reflecting and refracting from objects. By default, however, reflected and refracted light does not affect media. Making photons interact with media can be turned on with the media keyword in the photons block inside global_settings.

To visualize this, let's make the floor of our room reflective so that it will reflect the beam of light coming from the window.

Firstly, due to how photons work, we need to specify photons { pass_through } in our scattering media container box so that photons will pass through its surfaces.

Secondly, we will want to turn photons off for our fill-light since it's there only for us to see the interior of the room and not for the actual lighting effect. This can be done by specifying photons { reflection off } in that light source.

Thirdly, we need to set up the photons and add a reflective floor to the room. Let's make the reflection colored for extra effect:

 global_settings
 { photons
   { count 20000
     media 100
   }
 }
 
 // Reflective floor:
 box
 { <-10, -5.99, -10>, <15, -6, 10>
   pigment { rgb 1 }
   finish { reflection <0.5, 0.4, 0.2> }
   photons { target reflection on }
 }

With all these fancy effects the render times start becoming quite high, but unfortunately this is a price which has to be paid for such effects.