The
visual appearance of objects is given by the way in which they reflect and transmit
light. The
color of objects is determined by the parts of the
spectrum of (incident white) light that are reflected or transmitted without being absorbed. Additional appearance attributes are based on the directional distribution of reflected (
BRDF) or transmitted light (BTDF) described by attributes like
glossy, shiny versus dull, matte, clear,
turbid, distinct, etc.