Abstract

Next year is the 20th anniversary of the release of the first feature-length computer animated film: Toy Story. Since then, computer generated imagery has become present in most films, commercials and TV series and documentaries, and the complexity and realism of the scenes and characters have increased substantially thanks to the availability of more powerful computers at cheaper prices. Oddly enough, the algorithms to compute realistic illumination are basically well known and established since the 80s, refined and improved over the years by research and development at universities and companies, and made practical by the improved and faster hardware. The industry of imagery for videogames, in its own path, with quite different focus, algorithms and techniques, has had a parallel development. We will see how both worlds have evolved in different paths, why are they different, and discuss if there is space for convergence, some day.