Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ll-xn!oberon!neuro.usc.edu!annala
From: annala@neuro.usc.edu (A J Annala)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: RenderMan
Message-ID: <10468@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: 7 Jul 88 15:04:44 GMT
References: <475@ghidrah.tessi.UUCP>
Sender: news@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: annala@neuro.usc.edu (A J Annala)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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In article <475@ghidrah.tessi.UUCP> bobl@ghidrah.UUCP (Bob Lewis) writes:
>Can anyone provide the address at Pixar to write for a copy of this proposal?
>
>Please email it to me.  I will post it if so requested.
>
>	- Bob Lewis
>	  bobl@tessi.uucp
>
>P.S.	In case anybody's wondering: RenderMan (cap?), as I understand it,
>	is a proposed format for the description of graphical scenes.
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The RenderMan Interface, Version 3.0, May 1988
Pixar
3240 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94901

(415)258-8100

Contact:  Barbara Koalkin, Public Relations
          Reference:  May 18, 1988 Press Release

The RenderMan interface is designed to be a standard interface between
modeling programs and rendering programs capable of producing photorealistic
quality images.  Renderman is designed so that information needed to specify
a photorealistic image can be passed to different rendering programs compactly
and efficiently.  The interface itself is designed to drive different hardware
devices, software implementations, and rendering algorithms.  Many types of
rendering systems are accommodated by this interface including: z-buffer-based,
scanline-based, ray tracing, terrain rendering, molecule or sphere rendering,
and proprietary architectures.  In order to do this, the interface does not
specify how the picture is to be rendered, but instead specifies what picture
is desired.  

All RanderMan renderers will support:

o  the interface procedures as defined including types, constants, etc
o  produce picture files specifying any combination of RGB, A and Z ... the
   level of resolution set by the user
o  perform filtering and antialiasing
o  perform gamma correction and dithering before quantization
o  perform orthographic and perspective viewing transformations
o  perform hidden surface removal
o  provide geometric primitives and transformation commands
o  provide standard light source, surface, and atmosphere shaders
   required by the spec.

Option features include:

o  solid modeling, trim curves, variable level of detail, motion blur,
   depth of field, programmable shading, special camera projections,
   deformations, and displacements.

Companies already endorsing the RenderMan Interface include:  Apollo, Ardent,
DEC, MIPS Computer Systems, NeXT, Prime, Stellar Computer, Sun Microsystems,
Symbolics Graphics Div, Alias Research, Autodesk, Digital Arts, Intelligent
Light, Synthesis Software Solutions, Industrial Light & Magic, Pacific Data
Images, R/Greenberg Associates, The Analytic Sciences Corporation, Walt
Disney Corporation.

I believe this is a specification well worth review and comment back to the
Pixar Corporation.  Some features might be enhanced by wide review & comment.

Additional information on 3-D rendering techniques may be found in:

Angell, I. O. and Gareth Griffith.  High Resolution Computer Graphics Using
FORTRAN-77.  New York: John Wiley & Sons.  1987.  ISBN 0-470-20773-6

Mahnenat-Thalmann, Nadia and Daniel Thalmann.  Image Synthesis: Theory and
Practice.  Tokoyo: Springer-Verlag. 1987.  ISBN 4-431-70023-4  ... and ...

Rogers, David F.  Procedural Elements for Computer Graphics.  New York:
McGraw-Hill Book Company.  1985.  ISBN 0-07-053534-5

Rogers & Angell provide excellent implementation details.  Mahnenat provides
a broad overview, with good depth of coverage, and voluminous references to
the research literature on photorealistic image rendering.

A.J. Annala, USC NIBS Program, annala%neuro.usc.edu@oberon.usc.edu