MEASUREMENT AND USE OF BIDIRECTIONAL REFLECTANCE

Bi-directional reflectance is a fundamental surface property that has received a great deal of attention, particularly during the early year s of the space program. Although the value of using accurate surface p roperty data has always been recognized, bi-directional reflectance in formation is rarely used because of the sheer volume of data involved. Now, with powerful workstations readily available, large Monte Carlo codes can be run very quickly and full advantage can be taken of the d etailed surface property description provided by bi-directional reflec tance data. This paper provides a detailed description of a simple, co mpact, flexible apparatus for measuring bi-directional reflectance and a review of measurement considerations.