Wookash Podcast Painting with Math | Inigo Quilez
May 3, 2025
Inigo Quilez, a creative coder known for his work at Pixar, Oculus, and Adobe, shares his journey in the world of 3D graphics. He discusses innovative coding techniques that challenge traditional design tools and the importance of algorithmic skills. Quilez delves into his well-known projects like Shadertoy and Quill, revealing how they empower artists. He also reflects on the balance between artistry and technical prowess in VR filmmaking, and how simple math can lead to stunning visuals.
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Pixar Flicker Learning Curve
- Inigo failed initially trying demo scene techniques on Pixar's RenderMan because of flickering pixels.
- He relearned RenderMan's native primitives to create stable, flicker-free images fitting film standards.
VR VFX Under Constraints
- At Oculus, Quilez developed real-time VFX and lighting for VR films running on hardware with severe limits.
- He created artistic lighting that balanced cinematic style with VR's unique viewing challenges.
Pixar's Hard-Coded Nature
- At Pixar, Inigo Quilez hard-coded procedures to generate natural environments like moss and trees due to strict memory limits.
- He had to manually tweak code per shot to meet artistic needs without building reusable tools.