Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation (The Interactive 3D Technology Series) - Hardcover

Pharr, Matt; Humphreys, Greg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 012553180X ISBN 13: 9780125531801

Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann, 2004

Synopsis

Rendering is a crucial component of computer graphics― the conversion of a description of a 3D scene into an image for display. Algorithms for animation, geometric modeling, and texturing all must feed their results through some sort of rendering process for the results to be visible in an image. Focusing on realistic images, physically based rendering incorporates ideas from a range of disciplines, including physics, biology, psychology, cognitive science, and mathematics. This book presents the algorithms of modern photorealistic rendering and follows step by step the creation of a complete rendering system. As each new rendering concept is introduced it is also shown implemented in code―there is no better way to understand the subtle and complex process of rendering. The code itself is highly readable, written in the literate programming style that mixes text describing the system with the code that implements it. The result is a stunning achievement in graphics education for students, professionals, and researchers.

• CD-ROM with the source code for a complete rendering system for Windows, OS X, and Linux―with many examples of images created by the system throughout the 4 color text
• The code and text are tightly woven together through the technique of literate programming with a unique indexing feature that lists all locations of functions, variables, and methods on the page they are first described
• The most complete guide to understanding, designing, and building a rendering system

About this title

About the Authors

Matt Pharr is a Software Engineer at Google. He previously co-founded Neoptica, which was acquired by Intel, and co-founded Exluna, which was acquired by NVIDIA. He has a B.S. degree from Yale and a Ph.D. from the Stanford Graphics Lab, where he worked under the supervision of Pat Hanrahan.

Greg Humphreys is Director of Engineering at FanDuel, having previously worked on the Chrome graphics team at Google and the OptiX GPU raytracing engine at NVIDIA. Before that, he was a professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia, where he conducted research in both high performance and physically based computer graphics, as well as computer architecture and visualization. Greg has a B.S.E. degree from Princeton, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford under the supervision of Pat Hanrahan. When he's not tracing rays, Greg can usually be found playing tournament bridge.

From the Back Cover

"Computer graphics, and rendering in particular, is full of beautiful theory . This book turns the theory of image-making into a practical method for creating images." ?from the foreword by Pat Hanrahan, Canon USA Professor, Stanford University
From movies to video games, computer-rendered images are pervasive today. Physically Based Rendering introduces the concepts and theory of photorealistic rendering hand in hand with the source code for a sophisticated renderer. By coupling the discussion of rendering algorithms with their implementations, Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys are able to reveal many of the details and subtleties of these algorithms. But this book goes further; it also describes the design strategies involved with building real systems?there is much more to writing a good renderer than stringing together a set of fast algorithms. The rendering system described in this book is itself highly readable, written in a style called literate programming that mixes text describing the system with the code that implements it. Literate programming gives a gentle introduction to working with programs of this size. This lucid pairing of text and code offers the most complete and in-depth book available for understanding, designing, and building physically realistic rendering systems. Features * Finalist for the 15th Annual Jolt Awards in March 2005. * Companion CD-ROM includes the source code for a complete rendering system for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux?with many of the features found in high-quality commercial systems. * The system's plug-in architecture makes its basic structure transparent and allows for new features to be added easily. * The rendering system implements a number of newer or difficult-to-implement algorithms and techniques, including subdivision surfaces, Monte Carlo light transport, and volumetric scattering.

Edition details

• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 012553180X
• ISBN 13: 9780125531801
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1056