PhotoRealistic RenderMan
Encyclopedia
PhotoRealistic RenderMan, or PRMan for short, is a proprietary photorealistic RenderMan-compliant renderer.
It primarily uses the Reyes
algorithm but is also fully capable of doing ray tracing and global illumination
.
PRMan is produced by Pixar Animation Studios
and used to render all of their in-house 3D animated movie productions. It is also available as a commercial product licensed to third parties, sold as part of a bundle called RenderMan Pro Server, a RenderMan-compliant rendering software system developed by Pixar based on their own interface specification
.
RenderMan for Maya is a full version of PRMan that is designed to be completely integrated with the Maya
high-end 3D computer graphics software package; however, it is still in its infancy.
for the Hollywood
blockbuster movies of today such as Titanic
, the Star Wars
prequels, and The Lord of the Rings
. As part of the 73rd Scientific and Technical Academy Awards ceremony presentation on March 3, 2001, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
’ Board of Governors honored Ed Catmull, Loren Carpenter
, and Rob Cook
, with an Academy Award of Merit (Oscar) "for significant advancements to the field of motion picture rendering as exemplified in Pixar’s RenderMan." This was the first Oscar awarded to a software package for its outstanding contributions to the field.
It primarily uses the Reyes
Reyes rendering
Reyes rendering is a computer software architecture used in 3D computer graphics to render photo-realistic images. It was developed in the mid-1980s by Loren Carpenter and Robert L. Cook at Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Research Group, which is now Pixar. It was first used in 1982 to render images...
algorithm but is also fully capable of doing ray tracing and global illumination
Global illumination
Global illumination is a general name for a group of algorithms used in 3D computer graphics that are meant to add more realistic lighting to 3D scenes...
.
PRMan is produced by Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
and used to render all of their in-house 3D animated movie productions. It is also available as a commercial product licensed to third parties, sold as part of a bundle called RenderMan Pro Server, a RenderMan-compliant rendering software system developed by Pixar based on their own interface specification
RenderMan Interface Specification
The RenderMan Interface Specification, or RISpec in short, is an open API developed by Pixar Animation Studios to describe three-dimensional scenes and turn them into digital photorealistic images...
.
RenderMan for Maya is a full version of PRMan that is designed to be completely integrated with the Maya
Maya (software)
Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...
high-end 3D computer graphics software package; however, it is still in its infancy.
Awards
RenderMan is often used in creating digital visual effectsVisual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
for the Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
blockbuster movies of today such as Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
prequels, and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
. As part of the 73rd Scientific and Technical Academy Awards ceremony presentation on March 3, 2001, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
’ Board of Governors honored Ed Catmull, Loren Carpenter
Loren Carpenter
Loren C. Carpenter is a computer graphics researcher and developer. He is co-founder and chief scientist of Pixar Animation Studios. He is the co-inventor of the Reyes rendering algorithm and is one of the authors of the PhotoRealistic RenderMan software which implements Reyes and which renders...
, and Rob Cook
Robert L. Cook
Robert L. Cook is a computer graphics researcher and developer, and the co-creator of the RenderMan rendering software. Cook was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and educated at Duke University and Cornell University. While at Cornell, Cook worked with Donald P. Greenberg. He is now Vice President of...
, with an Academy Award of Merit (Oscar) "for significant advancements to the field of motion picture rendering as exemplified in Pixar’s RenderMan." This was the first Oscar awarded to a software package for its outstanding contributions to the field.