ABRAM

A physically-Based Rendering Application in Matlab for planets, moons, and small bodies.

Installation & Usage

Clone the repository and the linked submodules by running the following git commands:

git clone https://github.com/andrepiz/abram

git submodule init

git submodule update

Then, simply run the script call() to generate your first rendering.

Check the ABRAM wiki to access the full documentation.

Dependencies

ABRAM has been developed and tested in MATLAB r2023b with the following dependencies:

• Image Processing Toolbox (required)
• Parallel Computing Toolbox (required for multi-threading)
• Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox (required for image noises)

<p align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1dbbfb22-8131-48f5-b696-126932abd70b" width="800" /> </p> <p align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9211622b-cfd4-4cae-a7a2-45427ed514c9" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2331dccb-6b9b-4926-b54e-6c5d374c27fd" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ab6fb2e6-84e3-4a5c-840e-25acaf31de39" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2a4ac9df-9f75-4a3e-8aef-da8115591182" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f3c50857-0731-4be8-b6cb-da49013f4e77" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8e018275-5a4e-4f78-9a4c-ed0757ec9e67" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3b9f1943-3c72-48f7-ae86-5f648fab29eb" height="200" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5eba8dd5-4351-4833-9181-57678352ba61" height="200" /> </p> <p align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b46155fe-9300-4ca2-bd49-9c792e8a4546" width="457" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8b6ca482-f38b-41ca-b07d-0f9907651cc0" width="343" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/67997677-9934-4707-8bdb-86c1c35ebce3" height="400" /> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c26ddb2e-e44f-4b11-9723-3365647d604f" height="400" /> </p>

Credits

If you use the tool, please cite it in your work with:

Pizzetti, A., Panicucci, P., Capolupo, F., & Topputo, F. (2026). Development and validation of a physically based rendering methodology for celestial bodies. Acta Astronautica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.03.003

Changelog

| Version | Changelog | | ------ | ------ | | v1.7 |Changed algorithm of frustum culling; added raymarching shadow culling algorithm; added depthbuffer shadow culling algorithm; added depth map as optional output; added new concentrated sampling; refactored code and architecture; added default objects initialization; extended flexibility of inputs | | v1.6 |Added horizon maps; added support to tiled maps; added support to multi-threads parallelization | | v1.5 |Added support to hyperspectral maps; added support to non-spherical shapes; added tutorials | | v1.4 |Improved frame rate; added Hapke reflection model; added ellipsoidal shapes | | v1.3 |Added occlusions; improved direct gridding efficiency; added smart-calling of methods | | v1.2 |New object-oriented architecture; new fast mode with constant BRDF and no loops; increased fps at close range by pre-computing fov intersection; capability to merge QE and T spectra defined at different wavelengths | | v1.1 |Added parallelization | | v1.0 |Ready for dissemination |

Get involved

Feel free to open an issue to report a bug or ask for a feature. If you want to contribute to the project, or you need some help in the usage of the tool, e-mail me at andrea.pizzetti@polimi.it

Publications

ABRAM was used in the following publications:

Ornati, F., Panicucci, P., Pizzetti, A., Capolupo, F. & Topputo, F. (2026). On the radiometric calibration of optical hardware-in-the-loop stimulators. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Pizzetti, A., Panicucci, P., Mages, D., & Topputo, F. (2026). Single-Beacon Positioning via Radiometry Ranging. In 48th AAS Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference (pp. 1-19).

Pizzetti, A., Panicucci, P., & Topputo, F. (2025). A Bottom-Up Approach for Radiometric Validation of Synthetic Imagery. In Inter-Agency GNC V&V Workshop (2025).

Panicucci, P., Balossi, C., Ornati, F., Piccolo, F., Pizzetti, A., Topputo, F., & Capolupo, F. (2025). What if Star Trackers Were Navigation Cameras?. In 35th AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting (pp. 1-23).

Pizzetti, A., Panicucci, P., & Topputo, F. (2024, October). A Radiometric Consistent Render Procedure for Planets and Moons. In 4th Space Imaging Workshop (pp. 1-3).