NIST Appearance -- Progress

Progress

Recently completed and current tasks:

Team

Demonstrated agreement between measured and modeled reflectance for clear coatings

Building and Fire Research Laboratory

Procured laser scanning optical microscope
Fabricated isotropic coatings with controlled roughness for reflectance modeling
Characterizing microstructure of metallic-flake pigmented coatings

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

Measured surface roughness of clear coating films
Procured scanning white-light microscope
Developed models for scattering from 3-D surfaces
Developing approaches to accurately predict BRDF from metallic-flake pigmented coatings

Information Technology Laboratory

Used RADIANCE to distinguish surface texture (smooth/glossy from rough/diffuse) from surface topographical information obtained from (1) paint model and (2) surface topographical measurements
Determined how BRDF information can be used in RADIANCE (a rendering program) for comparison and validation of models and experiments
Initiated modeling of paint microstructure of metallic-flake pigmented coatings
Developed an interface between state-of-the-art computer rendering and accurate reflectance data

Physics Laboratory

Measured BRDF of clear, metallic, and pearlescent coating specimens
Refurbished and characterized reference goniophotometer for specular gloss and luminous reflectance measurements
Developed new gloss primary standard
Designed new reference reflectance colorimeter for 45°/0°, hemispherical and full BRDF measurements
Procured components for 45°/0° reflectance colorimeter
Constructing new reference colorimeter