The real-time discussed here is not the kind of real-time rendering done by the Unity engine; it refers to the real-time that is being implemented at every stage of production at Pixar. This includes the loading and management of complex environments and characters in the film, real-time surface subdivision, real-time effects, and how these complex digital assets are finally rendered on the latest hardware.
Before introducing their processes and systems, it is important to note that Pixar has a high degree of industrialization in its workflow, where mathematics is the primary productivity force, and the level of R&D development is very high. Many things should not be directly borrowed or integrated into one’s own pipeline unless the R&D capabilities are strong. Their technology is developed in collaboration with universities and research institutions as joint projects, but this trend is worth exploring.
For those interested in technology, you can directly check out Graphics.pixar.com to explore their open-source tools and papers to see if there’s anything you need.
To prevent readers from abandoning the article halfway, I found a SIGGRAPH video from 2016 to give everyone a taste; this year’s developments are even more advanced.
KeyWord：
RTP – real-time previewer is Pixar real-time path tracing (ray tracing performance) with real-time ray tracing, working with OpenGL, Optix
USD – Universal Scene Description (USD)
It is the first software of its kind ever made publicly available for general use. It can traverse various workflows, integrate multiple assets and 3D elements, and allow large-scale modifications and updates.
For detailed explanations and content, see
http://graphics.pixar.com/usd/docs/index.html
Hydra – real-time render engine
If you want to see how these assets come together without rendering to get the final shot, Hydra is the answer. This is Pixar’s real-time rendering engine, based on OpenGL 4.4. Importantly, it is specifically developed for feature film production, allowing for very fast scene creation and capable of importing large amounts of polygons, meshes, and textures simultaneously. You can refer to the COCO scene with a large-scale performance in a stadium, where you can import as many clusters as needed, and the demo seems quite stable.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/pixar-shows-software-at-gtc-2016/
https://graphics.pixar.com/usd/docs/api/hd_page_front.html
The video above begins by discussing Hydra.
Presto – Pixar’s legendary animation system; for further reading, see below. The new rigging functionality for this year is also part of this system.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/pixar-shows-software-at-gtc-2016/
Open Subdiv – An open-source subdivision modeling system, OpenSubdiv is a database for subdividing models that can run on a large number of parallel CPUs and GPUs. This is an optimized coding path that allows model subdivision to maintain consistency even when the model surface is deformed.
OpenSubdiv is an API ready to be integrated into 3rd party digital content creation tools. It is not an application, nor a tool that can be used directly to create digital assets.
http://graphics.pixar.com/opensubdiv/docs/intro.html
Open GL – is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardware-accelerated rendering. (I gave up translating the technical jargon)
The above-designed open-source files can be accessed below:
https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/
2017 COCO Pipeline Keynote：（Since COCO is not available in some regions, I borrowed some materials from last year for explanation）
Optimized change tracking
-Hydra rendering a scene
-Hydra primvar sharing (tutorials available on YouTube, related to Renderman)
Embedded and execution
USD stage in Maya Mari
Open GL
-Shading
Real-time path tracing
RTP real-time previewer is Pixar real-time path tracing
Run FLOW USD real-time editing system
Pixar Animation Studio’s new material editing tool “Flow” enables their artists to interactively edit rich, complex shading networks. Flow provides live real-time feedback with full, multi-bounce progressive ray tracing using OptiX.
http://on-demand.gputechconf.com/siggraph/2015/video/SIG515-Danny-Nahmias.html
-Rigging
Presto as the animation system
Primary tool
-IK
There is little information available, but the implementation method is likely to be through a line-drawing method to adjust the character’s IK. The driving system in Cars 3 also uses this; animators first draw the desired motion path, and the car’s motion path will automatically be adhered to it. Whether it can drift mainly depends on the system’s calculations, and the animator makes the final adjustments.
The binding in Coco involves binding the skeleton bones and the spacing between the bones, allowing for significant binding stretch and flexibility, so they can spread out.
-Full USD Cache
-Effects
Animating is a technical job, and the entire process is a bit more advanced than the technical flow of movies. It’s worth considering whether to go back and write a good script. Pixar’s website has many research papers they developed, and tech enthusiasts can check them out. I look forward to seeing every section filled by those familiar with it!
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