RenderMan

Using Blue Moon Raytracing Tools with Presenter

Just for fun, I installed the Blue Moon Raytracing Tools (BMRT) package on an Intel computer running the Linux operating system. BMRT is a RenderMan-compliant rendering system created by Larry Gritz, who is now working at Pixar Animation Studios. Larry is also the founder of the comp.graphics.rendering.renderman newsgroup.

I output a RIB file of the Arabian Horse model from Presenter, and used it as an input to BMRT. Here is the result:

For comparison, here is the same RIB processed through Pixar's MacRenderMan with RenderApp.

As you can see, BMRT is capable of using the RIB output from Presenter to produce a high-quality image.

Since BMRT is a ray tracer, it handles reflections automatically without the usual RenderMan requirement of creating an environment map.

For now, there are some manual steps required to use BMRT to render your model from Presenter 3D:

1. In Presenter 3D, set the "Write RIB Only" option in the RenderMan Settings.
2. Also, set the output format to "TIFF RGB" in the RenderMan Settings.
3. Click Presenter's camera icon to output the RIB file.
4. Use an FTP client such as Fetch to transfer the RIB text file to the Linux machine.
5. Use FTP to transfer the shading language source code to Linux.
6. Use the BMRT shader compiler to convert the shading language source code to a shader. This can be done from the Mac using a Telnet program or an X-Windows terminal program. Although BMRT uses the same shading language source code as RenderMan, the formats of the compiled shaders differ.
7. Use Telnet or X-Windows terminal to start the BMRT "rendrib" program with the RIB input.
8. When the rendering is complete, use FTP to transfer the TIFF image back to the Mac. The TIFF can be converted to PICT or other formats with Photoshop or another program.

It is possible to develop an application that works like the MacRenderMan spooler and RenderMonitor to automate the process. This would be the most economical way to establish a "rendering farm" because

• Pentium computers are cheap.
• The Linux operating system can be downloaded free or purchased on CD-ROM for about $25.
• Microsoft Windows is not required. (MS-DOS is needed to install Linux).
• Video monitors are not required on the servers after Linux is installed. Use programs like Telnet and Fetch for remote administration.
• The commercial site license for BMRT is very affordable.

(There is a version of Linux for Macintosh called "MkLinux", but BMRT is not available for it at this time).