Nighttime Driving: Real-time Simulation and Visualization of Vehicle Illumination for Nighttime Driving in a Simulator

To give a realistic impression in a driving simulator for nighttime driving, there are many challenging aspects to consider. One of the most important aspects is the illumination caused by the headlights of the own vehicle. To give a realistic impression there is the need to consider the characteristics of the headlight in use to be able to represent main and dipped beam, but also to represent different models and types of headlights. Another important aspect is the dazzling effects caused by the light cast by other vehicles upon the driver. These effects are not only important to give a realistic and visually appealing simulation, but also to simulate blinding effects which may affect the drivers ability to perceive the traffic environment to a large degree. This thesis describes methods to simulate these vital aspects of night-drive simulation in real-time using the capabilities of today's graphics cards