Grain-Induced Depth

A 3D Sphere appears to be floating in the dark. Remarkably, there are no "drawn" lines here—the sphere is created entirely by changing the density of random grain.

This is Shape-from-Shading. Evolution has taught us that light usually comes from above. When our brains see a grain gradient that mimics how light would fall on a physical object, it automatically "upgrades" the 2D noise into a 3D volume.

Slide the Intensity to adjust the light levels. As the shading becomes harsher, the sphere looks "harder" and more metallic.