Another interesting topic: Image-Based material Editing

http://graphics.cs.ucf.edu/ekhan/project_ibme.htm

Photo editing software allows digital images to be blurred, warped or re-colored at the touch of a button. However, it is not currently possible to change the material appearance of an object except by painstakingly painting over the appropriate pixels. Here we present a method for automatically replacing one material with another, completely different material, starting with only a single high dynamic range image as input. Our approach exploits the fact that human vision is surprisingly tolerant of certain (sometimes enormous) physical inaccuracies, while being sensitive to others. By adjusting our simulations to be careful about those aspects to which the human visual system is sensitive, we are for the first time able to demonstrate significant material changes on the basis of a single photograph as input.

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I will be attending Siggraph 2006 this year in Boston, from 30 July through 3 August, and will try and present topics that I find interesting in a daily blog

http://mickssiggraphblog.blogspot.com/

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While browsing papers that are scheduled for presentation at Siggraph 2006, came across an interesting link to the Graphics Research Group in the School of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida.

http://graphics.cs.ucf.edu/

From the Realtime Caustics project

Topics under research include:

• realtime rendering
• Real-time Caustics Rendering
• Interval Mapping: A Fast per-pixel displacement rendering technique.
• GPU assisted Global Illumination
• Beyond Triangles: GPU Ray Caster
• Material Design Interface
• BRDF-Shop: An Artistic Tool for Creating Physically Correct BRDFs
• Maya-PBRT
• realistic rendering
• Radiance Caching
• Real-time Rendering of Dynamic Objects in Dynamic, Low-frequency Lighting Environments
• Non-Iterative, Robust Monte Carlo Noise Reduction
• A Novel Hemispherical Basis for Accurate and Efficient Rendering
• Perceptually Based Efficient Rendering
• Global Illumination Computation
• HDR imaging
• mixed and augmented reality
• Image completion
• color

Another topic which caught my eye is BRDF-Shop …

abstract
We present an interface for quick and intuitive development of arbitrary, but physically correct, Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Functions, or BRDFs. Our interface, referred to as BRDF-Shop, provides artists the ability to create a BRDF through positioning and manipulating highlights on a spherical canvas. We develop a novel mapping between painted highlights and specular lobes of an extended Ward BRDF model. The implementation of BRDF-Shop utilizes programmable graphics hardware to provide a real-time visualization of the material on a complex object in environment lighting.

Read more about BRDF-Shop in the attached document

http://kf12.com/blogs/uploads/brdfshop.pdf

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AMD and ATI have announced plans to join forces (ie AMD has announced its intention to BUY ATI) in a deal valued at $5.4 billion.

The combination will create a processing powerhouse by bringing AMD’s technology leadership in microprocessors together with ATI’s strengths in graphics, chipsets and consumer electronics. The result: A new and more formidable company, determined to drive growth, innovation and choice for its customers, particularly in the commercial and mobile computing segments and in the rapidly-growing consumer electronics market. Combining technologies, people, and complementary strengths, AMD plans to deliver in 2007 customer-centric platforms for the benefit of customers who want to collaborate in the development of differentiated solutions.

Read the full story at the AMD Press Room

http://www.amd.com/…110899,00.html

Blender v2.42 is released.

http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Blender_2_42.727.0.html

Blender is Open Source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License

http://www.blender3d.org/cms/GPL_for_artists.495.0.html.

Blender is fully free to use and distribute within any educational, professional or commercial environment. Artwork created with Blender - including python scripts - is the sole property of the creator.