Validation of the Arnold Render for Creation of Physically Correct Lighting Models

Prior research has tested the validity of Cycles Engine render in Blender for the creation of physically correct lighting models; however, a research gap still exists in examining the use of Arnold render engine in 3DS Max for accident reconstruction and other forensic settings [1]. Specifically, the process presented in this paper utilizes the Arnold render engine within 3DS-Max to analyze the lighting models. Arnold is a physically-based render (PBR) engine and can be used to recreate an accident scene geometry and lighting conditions. The goal is to create light sources within Arnold that represent the real-world light sources. The light sources in Arnold are quantified by several variables, including intensity, color, and size. The intensity and size variables determine the self-emitted radiance of the light source and require further explanation to determine the relationship between these variables in Arnold and real-world lighting quantities. In this paper, we compare and validate the relationship between intensity units in Arnold and photometric quantities and illustrate that the lighting produced is based on the physics of light and matches Cornetto and Suway’s results [1].