\newpage
\subsection{Subsurface scattering models}
\label{sec:subsurface}
There are two ways of simulating subsurface scattering within Mitsuba:
participating media and subsurface scattering models. The latter are described
in this section and can be thought of as a first-order approximation of the
former. For this reason, subsurface scattering models should be preferred when
visually appealing output should be generated quickly and the demands on
physical realism are secondary.

At the moment, there is only one subsurface scattering model (the
\pluginref{dipole}), which is described on the next page.