System and method for creating real-time shadows of complex transparent objects

A method for creating a shadow of a transparent object, comprising the steps of:

• storing vertices of the transparent object in a memory;
• determining a light coordinate system based on a light source and a light vector;
• converting the vertices of the transparent object into light coordinates;
• calculating a dot product of the light vector and a normal vector at each vertex of the transparent object in light coordinates;
• storing the dot products as a shadow map;
• and
• applying the shadow map to a receiver object.

A computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing a computer to create a shadow of a transparent object, by performing the steps of:

• storing vertices of the transparent object in a memory;
• determining a light coordinate system based on a light source and a light vector;
• converting the vertices of the transparent object into light coordinates;
• calculating a dot product of the light vector and a normal vector at each vertex of the transparent object in light coordinates;
• storing the dot products as a shadow map;
• and
• applying the shadow map to a receiver object.

A system for creating a shadow of a transparent object, comprising:

• means for storing vertices of the transparent object;
• means for determining a light coordinate system based on a light source and a light vector;
• means for converting the vertices of the transparent object into light coordinates;
• means for calculating a dot product of the light vector and a normal vector at each vertex of the transparent object in light coordinates;
• means for storing the dot products as a shadow map;
• and
• means for applying the shadow map to a receiver object.