Bui Tuong Phong
Encyclopedia
Bui Tuong Phong was a Vietnam
ese-born computer graphics
researcher and pioneer. His publications are most often referred to using his family name, Bùi, which comes before his given name
by Vietnamese name
convention, but his inventions are remembered under his given name Phong, since it is conventional to address Vietnamese persons by their given name.
, Vietnam. After attending the Lycée Albert Sarraut
there, he moved with his family to Saigon in 1954, where he attended the Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau. He went to France in 1964 and was admitted to the Grenoble Institute of Technology . He received his from Grenoble in 1966 and his Diplôme d'Ingénieur
from the ENSEEIHT, Toulouse, in 1968. In 1968, he joined the Institut de Recherche d'Ingénieur et d'Automatique (IRIA) as a researcher in Computer Science, working in the development of operating system
s for digital computers.
He came to the University of Utah College of Engineering
in September 1971 as a research assistant in Computer Science and he received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 1973.
Phong knew that he was terminally ill with leukemia
while he was a student. In 1975, after his tenure at the University of Utah, Phong joined Stanford University
as a professor. He died not long after finishing his dissertation.
Phong was married to Bùi Thị Ngọc Bích from Nha Trang
, Vietnam, in 1969 in Paris, France. He and his wife had one daughter.
According to Professor Ivan Sutherland
and Phong's friends, Phong was intelligent, affable and modest. About his work in computer generated images, he remarked, "We do not expect to be able to display the object exactly as it would appear in reality, with texture, overcast shadows, etc. We hope only to display an image that approximates the real object closely enough to provide a certain degree of realism."
and the Phong shading
interpolation method, techniques widely used in computer graphics. Bui Tuong published the description of the algorithms in his 1973 PhD dissertation and a 1975 paper.
He developed the first algorithm for simulating specular phenomena. When working on his doctorate, he was very focused on selecting a topic and completing his dissertation very fast. Professor David C. Evans
very enthusiastically supported him in this project. Professor Ivan Sutherland
worked with him for improving the previous Mach banding problems, and on using normals
for shading. His fellow students also supported him very much, as James H. Clark
, Franklin C. Crow
, George Randall, Dennis Ting and John Riley. He finished his dissertation much faster than other students of the time did.
Phong, Robert McDermott, Jim Clark and Raphael Rom had created the very first computer graphics generated picture that looked like its physical model: the Volkswagen Beetle
. As a computer graphics icon, it still crops up in highly respected journals and animated features.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese-born computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
researcher and pioneer. His publications are most often referred to using his family name, Bùi, which comes before his given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
by Vietnamese name
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the Sinosphere , but is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in having a...
convention, but his inventions are remembered under his given name Phong, since it is conventional to address Vietnamese persons by their given name.
Life
Phong was born in HanoiHanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Vietnam. After attending the Lycée Albert Sarraut
Lycée Albert Sarraut
The Lycée Albert Sarraut was a French lyceum in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the French colonial period. It was one of 69 high schools founded by the French in their colonies worldwide, named for French Albert Sarraut. The school offered high standard academic programs for students between the ages of 11...
there, he moved with his family to Saigon in 1954, where he attended the Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau. He went to France in 1964 and was admitted to the Grenoble Institute of Technology . He received his from Grenoble in 1966 and his Diplôme d'Ingénieur
Diplôme d'Ingénieur
The diplôme d'ingénieur is a French diploma of higher education awarded by French Écoles d'Ingénieurs which can be independent schools of engineering or universities with internal school of engineering . This diploma confers the academic title of Ingénieur diplômé de [name of the awarding...
from the ENSEEIHT, Toulouse, in 1968. In 1968, he joined the Institut de Recherche d'Ingénieur et d'Automatique (IRIA) as a researcher in Computer Science, working in the development of operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s for digital computers.
He came to the University of Utah College of Engineering
University of Utah College of Engineering
The University of Utah College of Engineering is an academic college of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and computer science.-History:...
in September 1971 as a research assistant in Computer Science and he received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 1973.
Phong knew that he was terminally ill with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
while he was a student. In 1975, after his tenure at the University of Utah, Phong joined Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
as a professor. He died not long after finishing his dissertation.
Phong was married to Bùi Thị Ngọc Bích from Nha Trang
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, Vietnam, in 1969 in Paris, France. He and his wife had one daughter.
According to Professor Ivan Sutherland
Ivan Sutherland
Ivan Edward Sutherland is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer. He received the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in 1988 for the invention of Sketchpad, an early predecessor to the sort of graphical user interface that has become ubiquitous in personal...
and Phong's friends, Phong was intelligent, affable and modest. About his work in computer generated images, he remarked, "We do not expect to be able to display the object exactly as it would appear in reality, with texture, overcast shadows, etc. We hope only to display an image that approximates the real object closely enough to provide a certain degree of realism."
Work on computer graphics
Phong was the inventor of the Phong reflection modelPhong reflection model
The Phong reflection model is an empirical model of the local illumination of points on a surface...
and the Phong shading
Phong shading
Phong shading refers to an interpolation technique for surface shading in 3D computer graphics. It is also called Phong interpolation or normal-vector interpolation shading. Specifically, it interpolates surface normals across rasterized polygons and computes pixel colors based on the interpolated...
interpolation method, techniques widely used in computer graphics. Bui Tuong published the description of the algorithms in his 1973 PhD dissertation and a 1975 paper.
He developed the first algorithm for simulating specular phenomena. When working on his doctorate, he was very focused on selecting a topic and completing his dissertation very fast. Professor David C. Evans
David C. Evans
David Cannon Evans was the founder of the computer science department at the University of Utah and co-founder of Evans & Sutherland, a computer firm which is known as a pioneer in the domain of computer-generated imagery.-Biography:Evans attended the University of Utah and studied electrical...
very enthusiastically supported him in this project. Professor Ivan Sutherland
Ivan Sutherland
Ivan Edward Sutherland is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer. He received the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in 1988 for the invention of Sketchpad, an early predecessor to the sort of graphical user interface that has become ubiquitous in personal...
worked with him for improving the previous Mach banding problems, and on using normals
Normal mapping
In 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or "Dot3 bump mapping", is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents. It is used to add details without using more polygons. A common use of this technique is to greatly enhance the appearance and details of a low polygon model by...
for shading. His fellow students also supported him very much, as James H. Clark
James H. Clark
James H. Clark is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He founded several notable Silicon Valley technology companies, including Silicon Graphics, Inc., Netscape Communications Corporation, myCFO and Healtheon...
, Franklin C. Crow
Franklin C. Crow
Franklin C. Crow or Frank Crow is a computer scientist who has made important contributions to computer graphics, including some of the first practical anti-aliasing techniques. Crow also proposed the shadow volume technique for generating geometrically accurate shadows...
, George Randall, Dennis Ting and John Riley. He finished his dissertation much faster than other students of the time did.
Phong, Robert McDermott, Jim Clark and Raphael Rom had created the very first computer graphics generated picture that looked like its physical model: the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
. As a computer graphics icon, it still crops up in highly respected journals and animated features.