Simulation method for LWIR radiation distribution using a visual ray-tracer

Infrared cameras with passive, uncooled sensor chips utilize the longwave-infrared (LWIR) range of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelength between 8 and 14μm for image generation. The reason for this is that every object is self-luminous at room temperature at that wavelength. Therefore, every surface acts as a source of radiation in an LWIR scenario. To gain an impression and to model the effects and circumstances in an infrared scenario, a simulation method is required. In the visual domain this task is accomplished by ray-tracing software, which allows the generation of synthetic images as well as the analysis of irradiance distribution in a given scene. In this paper we demonstrate a way to apply one of such ray-tracers to a LWIR scenario. We will also demonstrate an application of the proposed simulation method.