CG References & Tutorials

[updated 24 Jan 2012]

Cutter Text Editor

mental ray Scripting

Cutter & mental ray

• preferences
• setup for CD vol I & II
• setup for CD vol III
• getting started

Maya Scripting, Mel & Python

Cutter & Mel scripting [+ notes on Vista]

• getting started with Cutter (mel)
• quick reference I (mel)
• quick reference II (mel)

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• querying UI widgets (mel)
• secondary geometry (mel + py)
• using smart transforms (mel)
• keyframe & expression animation (mel)
• align y-axis to vector (mel)
• recursion (mel)
• recursion & trees (mel)
• curves & expressions (mel)

Python Scripting

quick reference I

TCL Scripting

Cutter & Tcl scripting

• quick reference I
• quick reference II
• overview
• downloads

---

• the command line
• command line arguments
• lists
• glob
• file filtering
• misc examples
• align y-axis to vector

RenderMan Rib Basics

• setting up a basic camera
• transformation & attribute basics
• camera transformations
• left-hand & right-hand coordinate systems
• introduction to modeling
• pre-baked ribs
• keyframing
• stereo rendering & anaglyphs
• primvars
• RenderMan booklet [pdf's]

The RenderMan Shading Language (RSL)

Cutter & shader writing

• shading language overview
• datatypes, variables & memory usage
• intro to class-based shaders
• problems with quadric surfaces

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• what is a surface shader?
• intro to writing surface shaders
• aov - secondary images
• layered shading
• using smoothstep
• using noise
• cellnoise
• flames and opacity
• texture channels
• rotating texture space
• repeating patterns
• high frequency aliasing
• edge effects (aka facing ratio)
• blobby shading effects
• shader to shader messaging
• fake sub-surface effects
• color by height
• polar coordinates & famous curves
• trace sets
• selective occlusion
• point clouds, brickmaps & occlusion
• sierpinski point clouds
• nebula point clouds
• point clouds as accumulation buffers
• cellular automata

---

• what is a displacement shader?
• writing displacement shaders
• writing a smoke displacement shader
• displacement shading domes

---

• directional lightsource shaders
• directional occlusion light
• bumps from lights

Houdini & Prman

• quick reference

RenderMan Curves

• curve basics
• renderman curves & normals
• maya curves to rman curves
• post processing curve widths
• post processing curve normals

RenderMan Shadows

• depth map shadows
• raytraced shadows

RenderMan Ray Tracing

• basic ray tracing - reflections
• basic ray tracing - refractions
• ambient occlusion
• surface names & ray names

RenderMan Procedual Primitives

• implementations in python, tcl & 'C'
• basic randomness
• ripoints on a sphere
• blobbies

RenderMan Artists Tools (RAT)

• various scripting topics

RenderMan Studio (RMS)

Cutter & RiMel/Rman scripting

• setup for mel, rman, slim & "it"
• setup for python
• introduction to ri scripting
• sample RiMel scripts I, II, III IV
• rat & rms rib comparison
• batch rendering revised code
• batch filtering
• rifs - various examples
• rif - motion blur
• curves & shared geometric attributes
• freeze transforms
• exporting pre-baked ribs
• using custom light shaders
• scripting slim palettes
• custom slim preview
• primvars & hypershade
• rendering clouds
• subsurface blockers & hypershade

Image Tool Scripting

• sample scripts I

Slim Scripting

Cutter & Slim template scripting

• converting .sl to .slim
• terminology
• appearance & template documents
• parameter block quick reference
• sourcing a slim template [
      + notes on Windows 7]

Devkit

Cutter & Pixar's Devkit

sample rslplugin

rslplugin for iso-surfaces

Algorithmic

• hilbert curve - intro (py & tcl)
• hilbert curve (mel)
• sierpinski (py & prman)
• cellular automata I (py)
• cellular automata I (py & maya)
• L system:
•     intro revised
•     code & testing new
•     samples I revised
•     samples II revised

Noise

• perlin noise in python, tcl & 'C'

Expressions

• tutorial
• quick reference

Vectors

• addition/subtraction
• normalizing

Regular Expressions

• whats in a number?