Welcome to Journal of Graphics

Journal of Graphics ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (3): 449-471.DOI: 10.11996/JG.j.2095-302X.2026030449

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A review of research on 3D reconstruction based on neural field inverse rendering

ZHOU Xueyang1,2, SHEN Xukun2,3, HU Yong2,3()   

  1. 1 School of Computer Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
    2 Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Creative Content Generation and Immersive Experience, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
    3 School of New Media Art and Design, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
  • Received:2025-10-27 Accepted:2026-01-28 Online:2026-06-30 Published:2026-06-30
  • Supported by:
    Research on Immersive Experience and Communication Design of Virtual-Reality Fusion for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Yunnan(2024KSGCZX001);Open Project of Yunnan Provincial University Engineering Research Center for Digital Media and Animation Creative Design of Ethnic Culture (Yunnan Arts University)

Abstract:

In computer vision and computer graphics, 3D reconstruction aims to generate high-fidelity digital models of real objects and scenes from 2D images, videos, or other sensor data, and has long attracted attention from both academia and industry. In recent years, deep learning has continuously improved reconstruction accuracy and efficiency, enabling applications such as relighting, digital twins, and virtual reality. With the advent of Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), neural-field-based reconstruction has become increasingly mainstream; inverse rendering has been incorporated to enhance appearance disentanglement, forming a more complete reconstruction framework. Motivated by a rapidly growing yet fragmented literature, this survey focused on static objects and scenes and organized neural-field-based inverse-rendering 3D reconstruction into two components: neural-field surface reconstruction, and neural-field material and illumination estimation. For each component, core research questions were distilled and representative methods were summarized following a “research problem-technical solution” perspective. Their key principles and derivations were analyzed to inform future algorithm design. In addition, commonly used datasets and evaluation metrics for both directions were compiled, and their practical details and applicability were discussed. Finally, open challenges and promising future directions were outlined.

Key words: 3D reconstruction, neural radiance field, inverse rendering, neural fields, surface reconstruction, material illumination estimation

CLC Number: