A color model for rendering linear passive graphic 2D objects

Abstract

We define a new model for describing the resulting color of a stack of 2D objects in 2 1 2 D rendering. We restrict ourselves to objects that transform the color spectrum of incoming light in a linear way. Our model is more accurate than previous ones in that it is a better approximation of the physical behavior of real colored objects. It furthermore has the advantage of being independent of the model used for light. In our model, a graphic object in 2 1 2 dimensions is described as a 2 by 2 matrix that combines incoming light from the front and the back to yield resulting light in both directions. We derive an operation that takes the matrices of two graphic objects and combines them into one matrix describing the color behavior of the combined object and we show that this operation is associative. Very accurate results are obtained when using the spectral model of light and distorted but plausible results when working with RGB colors rather than spectra.