" "Monte Carlo" is a group of algorithms, not a single method. Both path tracing and photon mapping fall in the group of monte carlo methods. Have a look at the link for a rough overview of what actually qualifies as monte carlo."

Good link. Yeah, I realize it's a group of algorithms that includes photon mapping/light tracing, but some of today's GI renderers make use of an altered, generally speedier incarnation of the Monte Carlo approach, called Quasi-Monte Carlo as either the primary or secondary GI engine. It's a brute-force approach that basically recomputes the GI for every single shaded point seperate from the others. It's very slow, but very accurate, and can be made faster by using the photon mapping or light mapping method for approximating secondary bounces, etc. and cuts down on artifacting in close corners or areas where photon mapping can be problematic. Message edited on: 09/02/2004 12:11

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Tools :  3dsmax 2015, Daz Studio 4.6, PoserPro 2012, Blender v2.74

System: Pentium QuadCore i7, under Win 8, GeForce GTX 780 / 2GB GPU.