rds95@leah.Albany.Edu (Robert Seals) (06/13/90)
Hello, Is there a standard text or anything that can get me started learning about RenderMan? Are there any platforms that are preferred? Where has it been implemented? What is the scoop? Is it kinda like a library deal, or is it more like PostScript? Or completely different. thanks, rob -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Unix has its weak points, but its file system is not one of them." -Chris Torek rob rob@asrcmv.albany.edu or rds95@leah.albany.edu I have no idea what the uucp path to me is.
heiney@dec.COM (Bob Heiney) (06/13/90)
Page 4 of "The RenderMan Interface, version 3.1" says
"The RenderMan Interface is a collection of procedures to transfer
the description of a scene to the rendering program."
A great introductory text is Steve Upstill's "The RenderMan Companion",
published by Addison Wesley, ISBN 0-201-50868-0. It tells you what
RenderMan can do, and has many good example programs.
If you want the official interface spec., or any other information, contact
Pixar.
Pixar is moving this Friday, their new address will be:
Pixar
1001 W. Cutting Blvd.
Richmond, CA 94804
I don't know about new phone numbers, if any. Their current number is
(415) 258-8100xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (06/14/90)
In article <3159@leah.Albany.Edu> rds95@leah.Albany.Edu (Robert Seals) writes: > >Is there a standard text or anything that can get me started learning >about RenderMan? Are there any platforms that are preferred? >Where has it been implemented? What is the scoop? Is it kinda like >a library deal, or is it more like PostScript? Or completely >different. There are two documents you need to understand Renderman: The RenderMAN Interface Version 3.0 May 1988 Order from Pixar, 3240 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 258-8100, Cost, about $15.00 The RenderMan Companion A Programmer's Guide to Realistic Computer Graphics Steve Upstill, Copyright 1990 by Pixar Addison-Wesley Publishing Company ISBN 0-201-50868-0, Mine cost $26.95 The first is the formal standard for an application programmer's interface to rendered graphics and animation. The second is the popularization of the same idea, published as a large softcover book. I don't know of any implementations outside Pixar, but they have a very liberal policy on use of their standard, so since the interface is widely praised, I expect some implementations are underway. I'd like to do one myself, but mental health problems prevent that. RenderMan is an interface, not an implementation, but if you are into top quality graphics rendering, reading these books will be a valuable part of your education in computer graphics, showing you one well regarded way to organize a very large graphics implementation, though neither book gives you the skills directly to _do_ that implementation. Still, as I know from my 4.5 years creating another standard (ANSI X3H3 Graphical Kernel Standard), getting the thing organized is the hard part (I helped write an implementation of a GKS-like interface called CORE in about 1/4th the time it took to create the GKS standard). Kent, the man from xanth. <xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us> -- (member, "lonely old geezers with lap cats" posting cabel)
rick@hanauma.stanford.edu (Richard Ottolini) (06/15/90)
In article <1990Jun14.130326.27130@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: >I don't know of any implementations outside Pixar, but they have a very (1) SunVision from Sun. (2) There is a mac port, but I dont know if it is shipping.