01 - Introduction

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction to physically based rendering technique (pbrt). Rendering is the process of producing a 2D image from a description of a 3D scene. This is a very broad task and there are many ways to approach it. Physically based techniques attempt to simulate reality—that is, they use principles of physics to model the interaction of light and matter. In physically based rendering, realism is usually the primary goal. This approach is in contrast to interactive rendering that sacrifices realism for high performance and low latency or nonphotorealistic rendering, which strives for artistic freedom and expressiveness. The chapter also discusses a methodology—literate programming. Literate programs are written in a metalanguage that mixes a document formatting language and a programming language. The literate programming metalanguage provides two important features. The first is the ability to mix prose with source code. Second, the language provides mechanisms for presenting the program code to the reader in an entirely different order than it is supplied to the compiler.