Lecture 001

Producing realistic images by:

• simulating light transport (global illumination)

• simulating light-material interactions (appearance modeling)

Real light transports are very complex.

Use cases:

• visual effects

• animated films

• video games

• architecture visualization

• advertising and e-commerce

• cultural heritage

• digital fabrication

• scientific visualization

• scientific imaging

• rendering wave effects (fluorescence microscopy)

Forward rendering: given scene, produce image

Reverse rendering: given image, produce scene

Historical Final Project: Here

Historical Rendering Result: Here

Other Rendering Competitions (see links in slide)

• Dartmouth (2019, 2017, 2016)

• EPFL (2019, 2018, 2017)

• ETH Zurich (2017, 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

• UC San Diego (2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003)

• Stanford.

Good Books: - Peter Shirley’s Ray Tracing series (Peter Shirley), for first programming assignment - PBR(T) Physically Based Rendering From Theory to Implementation (Matt Pharr), for programming assignments - Advanced Global Illumination (Phillip Dutre), for theoretical - Eric Veach's thesis, for technical renderence