1. A computer graphics image rendering method, comprising: calculating data of radiance transfer for a plurality of points over a surface of a modeled object for a rest coordinate frame, where the radiance transfer data is represented as a function of at least a sum of one or more products of coefficients and circularly symmetric basis functions; based on the radiance transfer data, evaluating radiance transfer over at least a portion of the surface of the modeled object from a lighting environment for a view direction; and producing an image of the modeled object as lit according to the radiance transfer evaluation.