A Shading Language on Graphics Hardware: The Pixelflow Shading System

Over the years, there have been two main branches of computer graphics image-synthesis research; one focused on interactivity, the other on image quality. Procedural shading is a powerful tool, commonly used for creating high-quality images and production animation. A key aspect of most procedural shading is the use of a shading language, which allows a high-level description of the color and shading of each surface. However, shading languages have been beyond the capabilities of the interactive graphics hardware community. We have created a parallel graphics multicomputer, PixelFlow, that can render images at 30 frames per second using a shading language. This is the first system to be able to support a shading language in real-time. In this paper, we describe some of the techniques that make this possible. CR Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.3.2 [Language Classifications] Specialized Application Languages; I.3.1 [Computer Graphics] Hardware Architecture; I.3.3 [Computer Graphic...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: SIGGRAPH
• Authors: Marc Olano, Anselmo Lastra
• Keywords: Computer Graphics, Shading, Shading Language, SIGGRAPH 1998