Atilla Akin
IOR Measured Data
As an alternative to the Reflectance, Nd and Abbe values, you can use an .IOR file which provides Maxwell Render with the exact index or refraction for each wavelength of a material. Complex IOR (also called Full IOR) data is collected from precise measurements in laboratories and describe the optical properties of a material to the highest degree of accuracy. These materials have the advantage of being extremely realistic, with some drawbacks:
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An IOR file may contain "dielectric" properties even if it's ment to be a solid material. For this reason you must always apply a material that uses an IOR file to a model that has real thickness, and is not only a single sided polygon. |
The use of complex IOR data means Maxwell Render has a lot more math to do. Complex IOR computations require evaluation of more mathematical functions and they are dependent on viewing angle and on spectral wavelength. In addition, they involve the computation of full dispersion (which in itself introduces a performance hit; taking longer to resolve image noise). This method does not allow for many optimizations without sacrificing the intended physical accuracy.
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