Posted-Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 00:09:47 +0100
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 00:09:47 +0100
From: joseph@lilliput.fdn.org (Joseph Goldstone)
Message-Id: <9212302309.AA00560@lilliput.fdn.org>
To: rman@aero.org
Subject: Re: prman and alternatives

> Date:  Mon, 21 Dec 92 22:40:04 -0600
> From: Donovan Kolbly <dkolbly@cs.utexas.edu>
> Subject: prman and alternatives
> 

> RenderMan cohorts:
> 
> My understanding is that prman (Photorealistic RenderMan) and qrman  
> (Quick RenderMan) are just different "back ends" that follow the  
> RenderMan interface.  NeXT has courteously supplied NeXTSTEP 3.0  
> users with [versions of] both.  However, prman does not seem to  
> support all of the optional capabilities of the RenderMan standard,  
> such as bump maps.

It's usually straightforward to implement bump mapping in a surface
shader.  BTW the other nonimplemented capabilities are trim curves on
NURBS, level of detail (that is, model interpolation), special camera
projections (e.g. Omnimax), deformation shaders, spectral colors,
volumetric rendering, ray tracing, radiosity, and area light sources.

It's a fact that in the present RenderMan spec (3.1) the shading
language is optional!  It was originally not, then for 3.1 there was a
concession made to those vendors who wanted to claim RenderMan
compliance, but didn't have a shading language capability for their
systems.  This was seen as a short-term stay of execution, to last until
the 4.0 rev of the spec came out ("scheduled for fall 1990", it says
humorously on page 7) at which time shading language would be optional.
Texture mapping fell under the same deferment; I can't remember the
rationale there.

>                       Also, prman does not seem to do ray tracing in  
> the sense of providing reflections and shadows automatically, and  
> reflection maps don't seem to work so well for close-quarters  
> convoluted reflecting.
>

They (reflection maps) also interact poorly with motion blur.  Try
spinning a purely reflective, totally smooth sphere on its axis within a
cubic environment map, and see what happens.  Sure surprised me!

> 
> What I am wondering is:  are there any other back ends available for  
> the NeXT? (hopefully for cheap.  It wouldn't have to be FAST so much  
> as GOOD, although 50 elapsed hours is about my limit for final copy.)   
> For that matter, what other renderers of interest are there?
> 

Media Logic at one time had a renderer that ate RIB, although there was
no shading language compiler available for it.  I have no idea if this
was ever directly marketed by them although it was licensed for bundling
by a manufacturer of turnkey 3D graphics systems at one point (four
years ago).

Sun had a renderer (SunART) that is described in this year's SIGGRAPH
shading language course notes as being "largely compatible" but they no
longer sell it (the notes say).

Autodesk is listed in the 1990 RenderMan Partners catalogue as having
something called "Autodesk RenderMan, Autodesk's version of Pixar's
PhotoRealistic RenderMan".  But by the time the summer 1992 catalogue
came out this became "Includes PhotoRealistic RenderMan".

Levco makes a render accelerator for the Mac based on i860 technology -
I seem to recall a whole mess of i860s on the board but it's been a
while.

Yarc makes Am29050-based boards that run MacRenderMan pretty dang fast.

> Also, are there any commercial "rendering services" available, which  
> for a nominal fee would render our .rib files at 2400 dpi or so.   
> Nowdays, you can go down to your neighborhood Kinkos copy center and  
> rent time on a Laserwriter.  The next step is obviously to do that  
> for rendering.  $5-$10 per page (frame) would seem reasonable -- I'm  
> not planning on making any movies!
> 


The following companies are mentioned in the summer 1992 catalogue:

Anigraphic Productions Inc.  "[API] is a leader in providing
state-of-the-art multimedia engineering systems and solutions.  From its
new Federal GSA Schedule, featuring the hottest desktop digital video
systems to its custom rendered productions, API services communicate
persuasively in every area..."  The buzzword-to-recognizable-reality
ratio is a little too high for me to be able to tell you what these
folks really do, but you can contact:
  Chris St. John or Skip Kruger
  Anigraphic Productions Inc
  1821 Michael Faraday Dr. #206
  Reston VA  22090
  Tel: (703) 709-7037  Fax: (703) 709-8256
  

Computer Arts Development SA - according to catalogue, has 7 SGI
machines for rendering, output to both pro video and film.
  Ignacio Sanz-Pastor
  Computer Arts Development S.A.
  Anita Vindel 10 bajo.
  Madrid, Spain  28023
  Tel: (34) 1 357 27 51 Fax: (34) 1 307 03 39
  

Infinite Point Design - "offers high-resolution, high-speed RenderMan
rendering of 3D files".
  Jeff Smith
  Infinite Point Design
  4834 Boxer Blvd
  Concord, CA 94521
  Tel: (510) 798-3687
  

MEDIACTIV - "offers rendering services for all 3D applications
supporting RenderMan (producing RIB files) and running on the Mac, PC,
and UNIX platforms".  Transfer to videotape; Dias (?), transparencies,
color printing and Scitex color separation.  Supposedly you can get back
your imagery via electronic mail (4096x3072x3x12 / 9600 = ???)
  Philippe Gizard
  MEDIACTIV
  20 Rue Chaptal
  92300 Levallois-Perret, France
  Tel: 33 (1) 47 58 03 90
  Fax: 33 (1) 47 58 15 21
  

Midwest Litho Arts - takes RIB, renders to your specs, can get back
TIFF, PICT, TARGA, or SCITEX CT.  Hardcopy to IRIS printer, or 4"x5" or
8"x10" transparencies.  Color seps, proofs via Chromalin, Fuji, or
Match; 3/4" or Betacam video.
  Tim Clark
  Midwest Litho Arts
  125 East Oakton Ave
  Des Plaines IL 60018
  Tel: (708) 296-2000 Fax: (708) 296-2785
  

Videographics Corporation - "high-speed, RISC-based [so not using NeXT,
I guess!] rendering, to virtually all image file
formats...frame-accurate output to VHS, S-VHS, 3/4", 3/4"-SP, Betacam,
Betacam-SP, M-II, D-2, and D-1".
  Brian Shaw
  Videographics Corporation
  441 East Erie Street, Suite 1804
  Chicago IL 60611
  Tel: (312) 642-6652  Fax: (312) 642-6608
  

This list is hardly definitive; there may have been a more recent
RenderMan Partner's Catalogue put out (this is dated Summer 1992 and it
sure is Winter outside now).  I doubt many of these places would give
you a decent rate if you wanted to render a 64x64 pixel one-shot, but if
your non-movie imagery is an overnight still frame, they might very well
be interested and interesting...

-- joseph