RenderMan^® Shaders

Assigned: January 17, 2012

Due: February 16, 2012

Note: you must work on this assignment on your own.

Introduction

For this assignment, you are to take a supplied RenderMan shader image specification and modify it in several specific ways.

This assignment is designed to help you experiment with procedural shaders. The primary goals are:

• To learn how to install and use a procedural shading system
• To learn how to attach a shader to an object
• To learn to write and/or use particular shaders

Where can I find Renderman Software and Documentation?

Renderman is installed in ICL 5 and ICL 6.

You may also download and install Renderman on your personal computer. A link to the Renderman download page and documentation is available on myCourses in the content section under the module called "Renderman Software". This page is password protected. Access information as well as server license information are also provided on myCourses.

Regarding the Linux version of the server: it is designed to be installed on a RedHat Linux distribution. We have reports that students have successfully installed it on Ubuntu systems, but we are still experimenting with it on the Ubuntu machines in the ICLs. If and when we are sure that it works there, we'll let you know.

Objective

On myCourses, download shader.zip from the "Renderman Software" module on the content page. shader.zip contains the files that you will be working with for this assignment. These files will generate the simple Renderman image consisting of a yellow sphere floating above a brick floor, with a wooden wall in the background.

To get started:

• Create a directory, e.g. shader, that contains the shader files available from shader.zip
• From a command window, compile the available shaders (.sl files) with the command shader xxx.sl
• Run the Renderman renderer with the command prman rit.rib or prman ritwindow.rib

You are to then to modify these files as follows:

1. Create a new image by modifying at least one instance variable in each of the three surface shaders (plastic, brick, wood) in clearly identifiable ways.
    
2. Create a new image by replacing all three supplied shaders with shaders you have written, or shaders you have downloaded and modified.
    
3. Select one of these images or, if you wish, create a completely new image to submit as your entry in the "Extras" competition (see below)

Many resources are available online to help you with this assignment:

• The RenderMan Interface Specification at Pixar
• The RenderMan Repository (you can download additional shaders here)
• A good concise guide for getting started with RenderMan is Renderman for Poets, written by Larry Gritz, creator of the Blue Moon Rendering Tools (BMRT)
• Stephen May's RManNotes

What to Submit

To submit your solution, do the following before midnight on February 16, 2012

• Place resulting images on your web site:
  • At least one image for the modification to the supplied shaders
  • At least one image for the shaders you have written (or downloaded and modified)
  • One image as your entry for the "Best RenderMan Image" competition (see below)

   

• Zip together the following files and submit electronically to the myCourses dropbox labeled "Renderman Assignment":
  • All the shader code you used
  • All pertinent RIB and .h files
  • A minimum of three images (see above)
  • A readme file describing:
    • Your name
    • A brief description of your images and the shaders and parameters used to create them.
    • If you downloaded additional shaders for this assignment, you MUST acknowledge the source.
       
• Send email to me to let me know you have completed this assignment

As it is extremely important to continue to make progress as the course progresses, late deliverables will be penalized 10% for each day late. There is an exception to this rule: if you anticipate any problems with meeting deliverable deadlines, see me well in advance (ideally, at least one week) of the deadline that might be missed, and we can attempt to work out alternate arrangements.

Extras

Recall that you must do at least four "extras" in order to achieve the full 100 points for the programming assignments. "Extras" are worth five points each.

For this assignment, we will hold a competition for the best image submitted by a class member, as determined by a vote. The winning entry will receive five bonus points, which will count as one of the submitter's four "extras"; runners-up will also receive bonus points.

You may either use one of the required images (see above) as your entry into this competition, or you may create a completely separate image. If you create a separate image, you are free to modify the RIB file to change the number, type, and position of objects, and to use any shaders you wish to create different effects.

To make this assignment even more interesting, prizes will be awarded for the top three submissions across all the CG2 sections this quarter!

In the README file you submit for this assignment, be sure to indicate which image you want to use as your entry in the competition. (If you do not specify an image to be used as your entry, I will select one of your required images.)