Physically-Based Shading Models in Film and Game Production

Physically grounded shading models have been known for many years, but they have only recently started to replace the " ad-hoc " models in common use for both film and game production. Compared to " ad-hoc " models, which require laborious tweaking to produce high-quality images, physically-based, energy-conserving shading models easily create materials that hold up under a variety of lighting environments. These advantages apply to both photorealistic and stylized scenes, and to game development as well as production of CG animation and computer VFX. Surprisingly, physically-based models are not more difficult to implement or evaluate than the traditional " ad-hoc " ones. This course begins with a short explanation of the physics of light-matter interaction and how it is expressed in simple shading models. Then several speakers discuss specific examples of how shading models have been used in film and game production. In each case, the advantages of the new models are demonstrated, and drawbacks or issues arising from their usage are discussed. The course also includes descriptions of specific production techniques related to physically-based shading. Practitioners from the videogame, CG animation, and VFX fields, as well as researchers interested in shading models. Prerequisites Basic familiarity with computer graphics, illumination and shading models in particular.