Diffuse has been called the backbone of
reality. I admit this isn't my
statement, I have taken it off Visual Magic Magazine in this article:
http://www.visualmagic.awn.com/mag/june98/brc.html
Diffuse is essentially the amount of
light that hits the surface of an object and is diffused, then reflected at the viewer. In terms of
computer graphics, it is the
property that will dictate to the
renderer exactly which amount of rays to
reflect. Thus
image maps can be crafted to represent the differing diffusion of a given
surface.
On average, and object that you would commonly see will only diffuse somewhere between 60% to 80% of the
light that hits it.
Diffuse is the
property that
defines how bright an object is which essentially dictates the
brightness and therefore the overall
colour of an object. As a result it really defines what we perceive as reality.