Have an Account?
| Register Now
Read An Interesting Article About New Rendering Techniques Employed by Pixar for "Monsters University"

Posted on Monday, June 24, 2013 3:20 PM

The Verge has an interesting article about the new lighting techniques that Pixar used to render Monsters University, which opened this weekend and is at the top of the box office chart.

Pixar has a long history of building new software between projects (most recently overhauling its rendering software for Brave), but in the run-up to Monsters University, the changes cut particularly deep. As planning kicked in, director of photography Jean-Claude Kalache announced he wanted to change how light worked at Pixar.

"What if we made these lights just work?" Kalache told The Verge, in a Jobsian turn of phrase. Instead of building reflections and shadows manually, why not do it automatically every time an artist placed a light source? "It was as if every time you took a photograph, you built a new camera," Kalache says. "It takes away from the art of taking a picture. We wanted to stop being engineers and be artists." The result was Global Illumination, the lighting system getting its first public debut on Thursday with Monsters University.

Click the Read link below to view the full article.

Pixar is arguably the best animation group from both a storytelling and technical achievement perspective. Sure, not all of their movies have been to my liking, but overall, they have the best track record of any studio/group that I can think of.

Have You Seen Monsters University?

What did you think of the graphics in the movie? Are they any better than other recent Pixar movies, like Brave?



Add Your Comments

Reader VoiceReader Comments

No comments found. Be the first and let us know what you think!

Add Your Comments

Please login
Commenting on Journal Articles is available only to our readers who have customized this site, which makes it easier for you to complete the form and for us to contact you with any questions or concerns about your comments.

Please login or register a new account before continuing.


Already Registered?

Log in to retrieve your saved settings.

E-Mail Address:
BigScreen Passcode:

Forget Your Passcode?

Send My Passcode To Me

Not Registered? Create a New Account!

E-Mail Address
In case we need to contact you. A valid E-Mail address is required, profiles with invalid addresses will be removed.
Please Confirm Your E-Mail Address
ZIP Code
This helps us display theaters that are near you.

Our registered members enjoy more features, including:

Basic accounts are free -- sign up today!

Concerned About Privacy?

So are we! We won't sell, trade, or share your personal information with anyone unless required by law. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy.



Home - About Us - Feedback
News Headlines - Theaters - Movies - Reader Reviews - Movie Links
Your Account - VIP Service

The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a service of SVJ Designs LLC. All graphics, layout, and structure of this service (unless otherwise specified) are Copyright © 1995-2024, SVJ Designs. The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a trademark of SVJ Designs. All rights reserved.

'ACADEMY AWARDS®' and 'OSCAR®' are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Find Us on Facebook
Find Us on Instagram