Paul Debevec / Image-Based Lighting SIGGRAPH 2003 Course

Course Description

Lighting computer-generated scenes with captured real-world light can increase realism and help integrate computer-generated and real-world imagery. This course teaches the theory behind HDRI and IBL and presents practical production-ready techniques for applying them. It includes high-dynamic-range imagery, light probes, global illumination, approximation methods, and IBL-based live-action compositing.

Topics

High-dynamic-range photography, lighting acquisition, image-based lighting and compositing, real-time techniques, and ongoing research in illuminating real people and objects with sampled light. Use of these techniques in actual productions with particular software pipelines and the required basics of light reflection and global illumination.

Additional Resources for the SIGGRAPH 2003 Course:

Paul Debevec's main slides on HDRI and Image-Based Lighting (6.7MB pdf)
Greg Ward's slides on Global Illumination and HDRI Formats (400KB pdf)
Frank Vitz's slides on HDRI and Image-Based Lighting for Mystique in Xmen 2 (1MB pdf)
Paul Debevec's slides on Capturing Light Probes in the Sun (1MB pdf)
Masa Kawase's amazing Real-Time HDR/IBL Demo
A Tutorial on Image-Based Lighting In IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Jan/Feb 2002 - Paul Debevec
Image-Based Lighting in LightWave 6+ - Arnie Cachelin
Overcoming Gamut and Dynamic Range Limitations in Digital Images - Greg Ward
Industrial Light + Magic's Open-Source OpenEXR HDR image file format
USC ICT's HDR Shop software
The Story of Reflection Mapping
Light Probe Image Gallery
Rendering with Natural Light from the SIGGRAPH 98 Electronic Theater
Fiat Lux from the SIGGRAPH 99 Electronic Theater
Image-Based Lighting from the SIGGRAPH 2000 Electronic Theater, featuring Light Stage 1
SIGGRAPH 97 paper on High Dynamic Range Photography
SIGGRAPH 98 paper on Image-Based Lighting
SIGGRAPH 2000 paper on Light Stage 1.0
SIGGRAPH 2001 Sketches on HDR Shop, Light Stage 2.0, and A Real-Time High Dynamic Range Light Probe
Previous SIGGRAPH 2001 Course on Image-Based Lighting
Previous SIGGRAPH 1999 Course on Image-Based Modeling, Rendering, and Lighting

Frank Vitz, Paul Debevec, Dan Lemmon (inset), Greg Ward, and Rod Bogart

Course Syllabus

Part 1: Fundamentals of HDR and IBL

Introduction - Debevec

Global Illumination and HDRI File Formats - Ward
  - Global Illumination Techniques: Radiosity, Ray-Tracing, Monte Carlo
  - High Dynamic Range Image File Formats: Radiance, PFM, LogLuv TIFF, OpenEXR
  - HDR Display techniques

Image-Based Lighting - Debevec
  - Capturing Real-World Illumination
  - Illuminating Synthetic Objects With Real Light
  - Rendering Synthetic Objects Into Real Scenes
  - Making "Rendering With Natural Light" and "Fiat Lux"

Part 2: HDR and IBL in Production and Advanced Techniques

HDR and IBL at Industrial Light + Magic - Bogart
  - The OpenEXR File Format
  - Lighting and Modeling With Omnidirectional HDR Imagery
  - What Does 1 Mean?
  - Compositing, Shading, and Painting With Numbers Greater Than 1

Specialized HDRI/IBL Techniques - Debevec
  - Capturing Light Probes That Include the Sun
  - Using IBL in Production - Slides from Dan Lemmon, WETA Digital

HDRI and IBL for X-Men 2 - Vitz
  - Managing Gamma and Color Spaces
  - Mystique effects in X-Men 2
  - Using HDRI on X2
  - Lighting Capture Design Decisions

Image-Based Lighting Real-World Subjects - Debevec
  - Illuminating Real Objects and Faces: Light Stage 1 and 2
  - Lighting Reproduction for Compositing: Light Stage 3

Audience Q&A - Bogart, Ward, Debevec, and Vitz

Thanks!

The course organizers express their sincere thanks to Rick Barry, Alyn Rockwood, April Ramey, Jennifer Anderson, and Ken McGaugh for making this course possible.