Essential Guide to RenderMan Shading Plugin Development: Understanding Bxdfs

Understand the fundamentals of Bxdf plugins for RenderMan® 21+, both the technical details and API architecture. The main goal of the book is to enable technical artists, hobbyists, and students in using the noncommercial (NCR), free RenderMan® edition.

RenderMan® is an industry standard for rendering software. It has been used for every Pixar film to date and numerous other projects. RenderMan® 21, and all subsequent versions, use Monte Carlo path tracing. This change has necessitated the use of C++ plugins in place of the RenderMan Shader Language (RSL). Because of this, writing Bxdfs now requires knowledge of Monte Carlo integration, probability density functions, and the RenderMan® C++ API.

Essential Guide to RenderMan® Shading Plugin Development specifically addresses writing RenderMan® C++ materials. It explores the mathematical models of representative Bxdfs while drawing parallels, when helpful, to earlier RSL implementations. It also includes an overview of Integrators, providing further context for modern RenderMan® programmable shading.

What You Will Learn

• C++ development for Bxdfs
• Fundamentals of the rendering equation
• Monte Carlo integration

Who Is This Book For

Beginner plugin writers for RenderMan®, such as technical artists, students, or hobbyists who may already have experience with RSL or another shader language. More experienced C++ developers without knowledge of RenderMan® or Monte Carlo path tracing will benefit from the content as well. While some prior experience in computer graphics is helpful, the book provides background and references for further study.

About the Author

Brad E. Hollister holds a PhD from the University of California Santa Cruz in Computer Science and has extensive software development experience both professionally and in areas of Open Source, including BRL-CAD, VTK, and SCIRun. His research includes scientific visualization, virtual reality simulation for training, and computer graphics. He is also faculty advisor for the Open Source Mozilla Campus Club at the California State University Dominguez Hills.

Dr. Hollister has authored the following books:

• Core Blender Development
• A Concise Introduction to Scientific Visualization