Technical Framework — CRI Theory
The ambient light field as a structured, multi-component signal medium — a formal model for understanding how Flective surfaces encode and transmit optical information.
Overview
The Channels Framework establishes that the ambient light field surrounding a CRI installation is not merely a passive illumination source — it is the medium itself: a structured, multi-component signal carrying spatial, spectral, and temporal information that a Flective surface reads and redirects toward a viewer.
The framework identifies the primary channels through which this information is structured: the directional channel (light arriving from specific angular positions), the spectral channel (wavelength composition varying by source and direction), and the temporal channel (variation across time of day, weather, and season). A Flective surface is computationally designed to intercept and redirect specific rays from each of these channels.
This model has significant implications for how CRI installations are designed, sited, and described — and for the conceptual distinction between Flective surfaces and every prior imaging technology.
The full Channels Framework essay (v5.2) is available to FIAT LUX founding members and on request for research purposes. Write to jim@flective.com with your context and intended use.