RADIOSITY

(n.) A technique that calculates the lighting in a complex diffuse-lighting environment, based on the scene's geometry. Because the radiosity calculations do not include the eye point of the viewer, the geometry and lighting in the environment do not need to be recalculated if the eye point changes. This enables the production of many scenes that are part of the same environment (the rooms in a building, for instance), and a "walk through" the environment in real time. See also ray tracing