SYLLABUS: ATEC 4730:: RenderMan

Fall Semester 2005

Location: HRA 1.102 PC lab

Instructor: Jenny Macy
Email: jenmacy@yahoo.com [please email me if you have any questions as you work or
problems of will be late or absent from class]
Office Hours: Monday’s after class 9:45 –on… or by appointment
Class Time: M 7-9:45pm

*** The assignments and lectures are subject to change per instructor discression.

Course Description: An introduction to RenderMan RSL. Students will learn RSL and
write their own shaders, implement them into SLIM and render them with PRman using
MTOR and the command line render. They will also gain necessary experience to
interpret physical materials and light and translate them into efficient code segments that
can render photorealistic scenes. We will also touch on volumetrics, NPR, OpenGL, and
other advanced uses of renderMan.

Course Objectives/Ouctomes:
+to become an efficient shader writer
+to increase 3D graphic troubleshooting
+to develop an “eye” for material properties
+to learn and use 3D terminology successfully
+to work together as a class/team to produce beautiful images!

Outline of Class Work:

Aug 22:: Introductions and Syllabus Review

What is RenderMan? An overview of.
Basic RIB file overview
Basic SL overview
How to compile and render .sl files
Intro to RmanNotes and function graphing
Intro to SL and syntax
“one liners”..
assign HW 1.

Aug 29 Patterns and Shapes

Writing SL functions
Header Files and management
Dissecting a physical surface, what does this mean to a shader writer?
Assignment 1 critique
Assign HW2

Sept 5 LABOR DAY.. NO CLASS

Sept 12 more on header files
Intro to SLIM
SLIM templates
Critique assign 2
Assign HW3

Sept 19 intro to Irregular Patterns

Noise, Turbulence, etc.
Critique assign 3
HW4 assigned
Sept 26 Advanced irregular patterns
Celnoise, bombing, Worley
Critique assign 4
Assign HW5

Oct 3 SLIM/MTOR
Critique assign5

Oct 10 animating attributes

MTOR SLIM

Oct 17 intro to Displacement

Critique assign 6
Assign HW7

Oct 24 Nonlinear Displacement

Oct 31 intro to Illumination Models

Types, illumination loops. Variables.
Assign HW8

Nov 7 Hetero Illumination

Critique HW8
Assign HW9

Nov 14 SLIM development

Critique HW9
Go over Final assignment

Nov 21 Non-photorealistic rendering

Open GL
Final Proposals Due

Nov 28 work in class

Movies J
FINAL EXAM: Dec 5
Final Projects due, in class critique.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. graph functions on graph paper
render the one-liners and describe what you see
create 6 of your own one-liners, render and post your results
2.Regular pattern generation: using Header Files
3.Regular Pattern generation: SLIM templates
4.Irregular Pattern Generation
5.Bombing/Worley
6.MTOR – animated parameters
7.Displacement Shader
8.Advanced shader, combined displacement and color
9.Illumination Model
10 [final] you will propose your own final project in week 14. This project is meant for
you to further develop one area of interest that we touched on during class. You proposal
is due to me in writing via Email on Nov 21.
11. ongoing assignment: fruit/vegetable shader development and render
students will get a piece of fruit or vegetable and develop a procedural texture,
displacement shader, and illumination model, translate the .sl into SLIM tcl, and render a
turntable with shadows using Maya and MTOR.. this assignment will develop as learning
shading develops over the class. It will be graded on the final images as well as the
progress from start to finish.

GRADING POLICY/ATTENDANCE:
Assignments 1-9 combined are worth 80%
Assignment 10 and 11 are each worth 20%
You are responsible for all material discussed during class,
If you miss the lectures, it may be reflected in your work, however, your grade
will not be affected simply for not attending. Please be respectful of your peers that
choose to come to class!

Dishonesty/plagiarism or any other form of misconduct will NOT be tolerated. Any

student that performs academic dishonesty will result in automatic failure. Please be
advised that you must document your references when you post your work online. If you
are sharing code, you must also credit who you received the initial code/ideas from.