Course Syllabus

Rendering Systems proposes that the computational image is a window into a simulated and systematized representation of reality. To create a rendering is, in effect, to create and frame a model of the entire world, from a single grain of sand to the most complicated urban environment.

Before rendering a new world, we must understand how to capture images in our current one. Over the course of the semester, we will study the fundamentals of light, physics, and perception. We will also situate the rendering in a history of media and medium specificity that overlaps with photography and drawing.

This course places a special emphasis on procedural modeling, procedural texturing, and procedural animation as techniques which serve the dual purpose of allowing for more efficient image making and deepening the image maker’s stake in the systems which underpin the final image.

All topics will remain broadly applicable to multiple 3D software engines (in fact, it is a pedagogical aim to demystify the trope of rendering engine comparisons). The class will use Blender, a free and open source application that combines a professional physically-based pathtracing renderer, a realtime (viewport) rendering engine, a powerful suite of procedural modeling tools, and a rich ecosystem of community tutorials, tools, and plug-ins. No previous experience with Blender is required, but some previous modeling experience in a CAD environment such as Rhino is useful.

Rendering Systems - Fall 2025 - Syllabus v1.pdf

https://renderingsystems.xyz/

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