The Science of Rendering Photorealistic CGI

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How do we get a glorified adding machine to generate a photorealistic image? Find out as we explore the processes developed over 40 years of intensive computer science research which now bring amazing Visual Effects to the silver screen which include Rasterization, Ray Casting, Ray Tracing and the Rendering Equation.
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[@NerdSyncProductions]

That speech at the end was gold!

[@AbhiMoz]

+NerdSync Goddammit Scott I was gonna say that! T-T

[@albertomartinsen3357]

100% agree with you!! I'm these days deciding what to make with my life, and this video motivates me to get into the CGI world more professionally (I do it as amateur right now)

[@leitecunha]

It was brilliant! And this guy is a hell of a teacher.

[@panda4247]

yeah, especially the part "a CGI can help answer the question 'how do i get this shot', but it can never shed light on 'why' " tell that to Michael Bay

[@FilmmakerIQ]

+panda4247 CGI is the best part of many Michael Bay movies... It's his sensibilities that most people dislike.

[@DerekElliott]

Thanks for sending us here, BlenderGuru!

[@DerekElliott]

@ He posted it as an "update" or something, it was not in a video

[@TehBurek]

As a graphics programmer and a long-time CG enthusiast in general, I must say I whole-heartedly approve this video. I didn't quite expect to get one of the best explanations of basic computer graphics from a channel about film, but it sure did happen. Every topic you tackle is so well done and a joy to watch and listen, and I'm loving it, keep it up!

[@webgpu]

same here, for the same reasons. After watching it, i immediately thumbed it up.

[@bobcharlotte8724]

I've been a CG artist for ten years. Still love every moment and it amazes me that ones and zeros running through a computer can have an emotional impact on someone but to see your enthusiasm and respect for the magic trick behind it gave me new excitement for making something. Thank you. *boots up computer*

[@marthagillespie14]

For a person who knows nothing about CGI I found this video very informative, even fascinating. I almost said that it made rendering easy to understand but that would be understating the enormous amount of complicated information that was so well communicated here. Light physics has always been a subject of fascination long before Einstein rode his beam of light and wondered what he might see, and artists have always studied light to paint their masterpieces, but CGI is taking it all to an amazing new height. John Hess is a totally inspirational speaker and teacher.

[@firefoxmetzger9063]

Fun Fact: The term "Monte Carlo" is used in research and science, whenever you do something clever based on 'random samples'. This likely refers to the Monte Carlo Casino, a gambling hall. Also it describes these algorithms perfectly: It's a gamble. They either work better then anything or blow up right in your face :D

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Because they were working on this method as a secret project at Los Alamos Labs, it needed a codename. it started out with Stanislaw Ulam trying to figure out the odds of a deal of solitaire was winnable or not... he couldn't solve it with brute force so he thought he might try random sampling. The name was suggested by Nicholas Metropolis to John von Neumann and Stanislaw Ulam, because the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco where Ulam's uncle would borrow money from relatives to gamble.

[@sharifshahwan9256]

This should make everyone appreciate how powerful our modern computers are, and how much mathematics and science go into providing the tools we have on our desks (or laps). Another excellent lesson. Thanks, John.

[@samuelhawksworth1923]

This video not only answered all my questions about ray tracing and the rendering equation but it was extremely enjoyable to watch! Every question I (as a new watcher) could’ve had was answered perfectly. It was so refreshing to see someone so passionate and in touch with such a beautiful way of determining light simulations. Absolutely brilliant 😄

[@LanceCampeau]

Some of the best content on KZbin... always very interesting and informative.

[@TheAnimystro]

plz cymbal videos thx

[@tebisxrod]

Hi! I'm a visual FX artist for 15 yrs, an your explanation about rendering is the most comprehensive and nice I have seen. congratulations buddy, and thanks for the very respectful insight about CGI VFX on films you show at end of video!

[@keatonloudamy9160]

Upload more. Ur one of the most knowledgable film tutorial channels on youtube

[@FilmmakerIQ]

We will soon ;)

[@jiriVFX]

Amazing video. Simple, informative, entertaining. Perfect as usually. Finally somebody is explaining the role of CGI, I have had enough of people throwing rocks at everything CG and ignoring the huge amount of work hidden behind it. Thank you!

[@cappybenton]

I studied computer graphics 30 years ago at university. The progress in this field has been amazing. Thanks for explaining both the technique and the history of the technique so well.

[@jfrusciantetube]

Very, very well done. Just a minor tip: if you want to cite the z buffer to someone who has no idea what it is, just say it's an image in which for every [pixel, ray, bit] we store the distance from the camera, and we keep the closest. Great job!

[@ShutterAuthority]

Lovely presentation! I'm a cgi/vfx artist and I'm so glad I have access to all this cool tech early in life.

[@JimONeill]

Thank you John for acknowledging the brilliance of CGI which gets knocked too easily and too often these days. The work CG artists create is underappreciated. Brilliant presentation.

[@MackMillicco]

I'm starting my undergraduate in Computer Science this Fall and I want to go into CGI. This video answered many questions. Thanks a bunch!

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Break a leg!

[@tatibanawataru7307]

あ

[@tatibanawataru7307]

あ

[@beezified1898]

Its been 3 years. How it goes? 😁

[@31boxes76]

How's it going so far

[@darrellkohr6198]

I watched five videos on CGI and Ray Tracing this morning and this is the first one that was complete enough to make it understandable for me. Kudos.

[@dmac7128]

Great video. Its not easy explaining an incredibly complex mathematical problem and illustrating just how computationally intensive render CGI is. It gave me insight on why it takes massively parallel computing clusters weeks and months to fully render it.

[@krejn]

I fucking love this channel

[@MaxSchaff]

who said we're not amazed? knowing when to use CGI in a film is as such a skill as doing CGI. thanks for the video, very educational!

[@roxonogueira]

Great conclusion. I wish more people understood that last part where you compare the "how" and "why" about making a shot. People always love to bash in the overuse of CG as opposed to the use of bad CG. As long as you don't notice it, it's good! The moment you know what's real and what's CG, it's bad!

[@musaran2]

The main problem of CGI is that it makes unrealistic behavior not only easy, but in fact the norm. So poor design just dials things to 11, and go "yay ! 110% better". Where good design makes it feel real.

[@melodyperez6058]

I'm so appreciative every time you find time to make a video. your depth of knowledge is always inspiring and informative . Big fan!:)

[@bi1iruben]

Erudite, concise and clear presentation. You enthuse about all your topics and the outcome for what is basically a lecture format is almost poetically inspiring.

[@Cara.314]

This video is simply fantastic...i remember watching most of this technology develop. And it's great having it all so well presented and demonstrated.

[@shawnkearney2542]

When I started my college career it was pretty evident that my laptop wouldn't cut it, so I invested in a large workstation that could handle whatever I threw at it. I wasn't counting on Blinn's law.

[@danield679]

This guy is an absolute treasure of passion and knowledge. That said, is it just me, or am I the only one who wants to reach into the picture and straighten his eyeglasses?!

[@MarkusKretzschmarPhoto]

That last essay about CGI was just awesome!

[@msheaver]

Everything about this video is just pure gold! From the subject matter to the presentation, from the video effects to the story being told, this is a true gem. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@AidanHockey34]

This is a subject that I'd love for you guys to expand more on. This video was incredible, as always, and the history and development of CGI is something I've always been interested in. Thanks for the awesome presentation!

[@NadeeshaRathnayake]

Finding your channel on KZbin was like striking gold! At each video, I learnt something new. Thank you.

[@schulenheimer]

In my understanding Pixar was using ray tracing on Cars for reflections only and the first fully integrated ray tracing happened on Monster U with some Sub Surface Scattering exceptions which had to be precomputed. Still a very good explanation of CGI in general and thank you for the speech at the end :)

[@ryanjosephdp]

I'm so happy you're able to release more videos quickly!! Always so much good content involved. But don't rush! Take your time.

[@RinoaL]

ive been tinkering with 3D animating for about a decade now, and i really loved this video. it even made some things clearer for me tbh, you sure do your research!

[@feschber]

I know I'm late but this is an awesome series on rasterization so in case you're still in that sort of stuff you're going to love it: kzbin.info/aero/PLEETnX-uPtBUbVOok816vTl1K9vV1GgH5

[@BillVoelker]

Why isn't a quality programming like this get millions of hits?

[@prashantx90]

One of the best video I have seen, history, evolution, challenges in CGI rendering all covered in one video

[@Erik-rp1hi]

I've followed this technology from the get go. It is amazing what the software and the hardware can do.

[@iLikeTheUDK]

I'll note that in addition to Blinn's Law, there's another related negation to Moore's Law: Wirth's Law (and its variations, one of the most known of which is Gate's Law): That the speed of software halves every 18 months, due to developers sometimes not taking the effort to optimize code enough, using Moore's Law as an excuse...

[@atbmedia]

I love your videos John, just watched 10 or more of them over the past few days. Learned more from your channel than my video techniques class over the past semester. Thanks!

[@rinuadegbite8571]

Well written (and edited) video ! The animation effects made the information so much clearer! And I really liked the throwback to Catmull's CG Hand!

[@anowl1440]

Came here for producting rendering softwares tutorial videos. Somehow I found the explanation of the ray tracing technique very helpful for me to understand the "wierd" laws of the computer generated lights. I'll try to apply that knowledge to improve my rendering skills XD. Cheers!

[@Viresmon]

I love these subjects of CGI technology. It's inspiring to watch people talk about the goods of CGI. I feel this is almost getting butchered but that kind of says everything about what's going on. anyways, love the video.

[@luxxeon3d]

Wonderful video. Especially the narration at the end, where you speak of CGI for what it really is; a tool to help tell a story. CGI technology has put filmmaking potential into the hands of the average individual, instead of only an elite well-funded few. I'm glad someone has recognized this.

[@schitlipz]

I remember waiting overnight for Amiga's Sculpt 3D to render a single image. That was mid 80s.

[@kenj8695]

I watched a few of your videos before , but this one made me subscribe.

[@louispepin3659]

Thank you for sharing your passion of film making. Excellent, as always.

[@dzirtbry]

Awesome video, lot of useful and interesting stuff packed in a brilliant way, thank you!

[@jMcWill781]

Love it! could you do a history of CGI in movies next?

[@strangerthanreality]

+Gauge Wiley He already did. Check out the channel.

[@lumpyfishgravy]

A very well researched and presented piece. Thank-you! As a firmware engineer I have always held a fascination for numerical modelling and you have cogently demonstrated that's what CGI is: maths we can all see. Fantastic!

[@FilmmakerIQ]

+Mike Page Firmware Engineer - you my friend are the true MVP. :)

[@martinlauzon1971]

Love your conclusion. One of the most intense topic of conversation in all CG studios is how the vast narrative possibilities of these tools are wasted on run-of-the-mill stereotypical screenplays. Directors and producers need to stop seeing these as post-production but as an actual stage and be present and involved in creation.

[@perseohernandez755]

What a great way to explain the behind curtains process !.. Thumbs up and subscribing.

[@JerryFochtmann]

Very interesting video on CGI. Thanks for all the effort and explanation. Well done!

[@aussienik]

John you are a star teacher. What a great presentation skills. Those pauses, stresses, pace was so well calculated that even an idiot can understand the complexity of the subject.

[@Dom4z]

This is super cool and informative. Love the visual techniques used to explain this. Thank you! :) Great work.

[@mosesknows2062]

Great as always from one of the best channels out there... Thanks, Moses...

[@maxxender]

Clear, concise, and informative! I love it.

[@rakeshsimpson]

Brilliant video. Great explanation. Thank you!

[@bkzzzzz]

Liked this video a lot! especially the way you explained all the complicated terms of today's modern Computer Graphics with the help of simple animation I think it is also very informative for the people from the CGI background.

[@sveabryan9126]

Fascinating. Thank you for explaining this. Now I understand what I had been seeing and the subtle ways in which films have improved.

[@bkzzzzz]

It will be very nice to have second version of this video with more in-depth knowledge covering real time CGI and VR

[@kobakobakoba]

Today's technology is very mindblowing when you really dissect it all and try to understand how everything all works. Crazy how most people accept all of today's technology without even questioning it.

[@hibernatus40]

Super cool presentation! Thanks.

[@jwdonal]

Found this video when falling down the youtube rabbit hole. Glad I did though. Really excellent video. I learned a lot. Loved the recursive ray tracing animation - made it really easy to understand.

[@hushahir4495]

Great work i appreciate your research and efforts for making awesome and complete videos .

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

Just a nitpick, moore's law(I've read his original papers) is not about transistors or even computer size or raw power. It was an economic observation about the cost per unit of computing power for raw un-packaged integrated circuits, which is why it applies to mainstream mass produced chips and not the latest prototypes. When I say raw un-packaged IC it is important because the basic commodity materials that make up the chip packaging and supporting circuitry have traditional economies of scale and do not follow moore's law, so the final complete computer power/cost only partially follows Moore's law and the wholesale cost of chips has over time become proportionally less of the total machine cost. Packaging here is not the retail packaging, it is the working container that allows the chip to be placed into a real world circuit, commonly a molded plastic or ceramic case with rows of pins, what you see mounted on a circuit board.

[@roberthosking7524]

Great bit of history on this topic. Thank you.

[@c2ashman]

Another great video. Quality on KZbin at its best.

[@tamat]

Great video, I teach 3D graphics at the university and you explain the concepts much better than I would. Congratulations.

[@cinemusicberlin]

This comment is sponsored by HP. Great video, as always! Thanks to my sponsor HP for powering this comment. ;-)

[@DarkMizu1]

That intro was adorable. Anyway, this was a really informative video. Just seeing, "The Compleat Angler" shows how far we came.

[@izaradesigncom]

thanks for all your great work! love your channel 😍

[@austin4151]

AMAZING! You just gave me the puzzle piece i needed for my equation for Voxel Cone Tracing ! THANKS! SUBSCRIBED!

[@jean-marcfueri6678]

Thanks for this, great content, presententation and delivery.

[@dannybabbev]

Great! Love such tech videos! Keep the good work man!

[@drmosfet]

Great video, we need more videos like this on KZbin.

[@filanfyretracker]

GPUs have to be one of the greatest saving graces for independent film CGI, They provide huge levels of compute power for rendering at usually affordable prices. The highest end gaming cards also do really well at rendering for CGI animations and physics simulation.

[@sergeipatlai9514]

Really amazing! Thanks for making such inspiring and informative videos!

[@NEMIHEMERA]

Great explanation! It puts things into perspective!

[@JamesMauger]

I never comment on KZbin videos but the last part was perfect, well said. CGI is incredible.

[@diegotrazzi]

Excellent explanations ! Thank you for sharing this.

[@sottozen]

love your videos! Just great

[@albertgerard4639]

I work in architectural visualization and let me tell you this is the definitive history of computer graphics.

[@rippspeck]

Awesome video. Very in-depth and easy to understand. He reminds me of somebody doing great videos as well, his voice, style, everything. Now I got it. Bill Hammock, the Engineer Guy.

[@Mrcoolagainbuzy]

Thanks for sharing such piece of vital knowledge.. Looking forward for more VFX, CGI centric information letting us know everything from the scratch. :)

[@dawn200128]

great video, really enjoy educational videos and yours are top notch, keep up the good work.

[@polinapetrova2694]

I'm very impressed! This was so professionally explained and simplifying complex math and programming concepts is not an easy task yet you managed to make it look easy. And the inspirational ending was right on spot. I also loved that there was no unnecessary spamming such "hit that like button" and "subscribe to our channel". You didn't have to say any of these and yet we are all doing it because it is simply amazing work!

[@SreyRc]

Amazing video! Learnt so much!

[@KvestiOnMovies]

This gave me some more understand when I next time open Lightroom and try to do something myself. Thanks.

[@IraMishchuk]

Thank you for the clear explanation of rendering!

[@aboulzeek]

Great piece!! Loved it.

[@arielshtern4125]

Thank you so much for the video!

[@gdevesa2094]

The way you narrated made me stay until the end. Got me hooked

[@miceskin]

This just changed my life.

[@zioscozio]

This is packed with so much juicy information! Only nit: the plural of matrix is matrices (not matricies). :)

[@FilmmakerIQ]

+scozio the only math course I had in college was Business Matrices and the guy always overemphasized the last syllable... So that's where I must have picked it up. My bad.

[@OmarDewan]

+Filmmaker IQ HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

[@yaosio]

+scozio I've always heard it pronounced the way it is in the video.

[@zioscozio]

I was referring to the spelling at 1:09. :)

[@ehcmier]

+scozio Yep! And look, there it is, the *spelling* is implicit right in your original comment.

[@tonywords6713]

also a great example of positive advertising for a good purpose. keep it up!! :)

[@alsifjlasieflooo]

Wow, your videos are truly the best!

[@nimabehzadafshar4744]

thank you so much! perfectly described and really helpful

[@MariaMendoza-qq3pd]

This is just pure joy! TY

[@ChaoLegacy]

Excellent explanation! Well Done!

[@coreydoyle4702]

Wow this is a brilliant video. I'm learning graphics programming for game development, and your explanations for many of the fundamental elements surrounding CG graphics significantly aided in my understanding. Particularly the segment on the camera and rasterization. - Cheers :D

[@badoli1074]

As a 3D artist myself: Great work! Couldn't explain that well myself!