IEEE and Pixar Animation Studios’ collaboration on the RenderMan SciTech Art Challenge last year broke entry records for the annual competition, tripling the usual number of submissions. Nearly 200 artists, engineers, and enthusiasts competed to demonstrate shading, lighting, rendering, and compositing techniques using RenderMan tools. The contest was held from 26 August to 26 November 2024.
As the 2025 competition date nears, here’s a look into RenderMan and how IEEE got involved in this exciting, innovative challenge.
Developed by Pixar in 1988, RenderMan has been at the forefront of computer-generated imagery (CGI) ever since. Created by visionaries Loren Carpenter, Rob Cook, Pat Hanrahan, and Tom Porter, the technology revolutionized the animation industry with its ability to produce realistic images. RenderMan, which has been used in such blockbuster movies as Avatar, Jurassic World, and Toy Story (the first fully computer-animated film), is still a vital tool for artists and studios worldwide.
Pixar received an IEEE Milestone award in 2023 for RenderMan’s groundbreaking technology. A Milestone plaque recognizing the technology is displayed next to the entrance gates at Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, Calif.
To celebrate the recognition and IEEE’s roots in electrical science, the two organizations came up with a “compute” theme for last year’s art challenge. Contestants’ entries had to feature a cityscape showcasing future human innovations or an alternate reality in which electricity never had been invented.
Leif Pedersen, a RenderMan specialist at Pixar, says the collaboration with IEEE allowed preparation to meet opportunity.
“We were already preparing for the art challenge,” Pedersen says, “and it was a perfect opportunity to leverage that wonderful milestone and make the challenge a celebration of computing.”
A rare release of priority assets
The partnership also led to something unusual: Pixar released the proprietary assets inspired by the studio’s early hardware history, including elements modeled after the original Pixar Image Computer.
“We’re pretty hesitant to ship out assets like that and also our intellectual property, but Pixar was all in because we knew that it was going to be a great hit,” Pedersen says. “It was so cool to see how creatively people ran with their ideas.”
“Pixar was built to foster interaction. Artists and engineers walk parallel paths, and art is where they meet.”
Participants used the assets in imaginative ways, turning chipsets into cityscapes and monitors into robot heads.
The winner was Margot Brun for The Robot Artist. Furkan Avci came in second with I Got You, Buddy. Noémie Layre placed third with The Robotanist.
The judges, who included IEEE Region 5 Director Matt Francis and past IEEE Region 6 Director Kathy Herring Hayashi, said they were amazed by the diversity of the entries.
The IEEE members’ technical perspective added a valuable dimension to the judging process, Pedersen says, adding, “It was crucial to have that outside view. We’re so in tune with making something pretty or based on a story, so getting that edge on ‘compute’ with IEEE’s expertise was incredibly important.”
The IEEE Milestone plaque recognizing RenderMan is on display next to the entrance gates at Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, Calif.Disney/Pixar
A launchpad to a CGI career
The RenderMan Challenge isn’t just about showcasing one’s talent, Pedersen says. It also can launch one’s career in CGI. Past participants and winners have gone on to work at Pixar and other major studios including Netflix and the Moving Picture Co.
“We don’t bring greatness to the contestants,” Pedersen says. “They’re already brilliant artists in their own right. We give them a platform where they’re learning an industry-leading tool with massive amounts of complexity, where their creativity can run freely.
“Pixar was built to foster interaction,” he adds. “Artists and engineers walk parallel paths, and the art is where they meet.”
For students and young professionals who want to work in the field, Pedersen has this advice: “The most crucial thing is education and the determination to be the best you can be. You can be an illustrator, a mathematician, or a programmer.”
The RenderMan team includes sculptors, illustrators, physicists, and software engineers collaborating to push the boundaries of digital imagery.
“There’s a place for you at Pixar and other VFX [visual effects] animation houses,” Pedersen says. “I encourage you to keep up with the latest technology, get to know people with similar interests, and look for events like the RenderMan Art Challenge.”
This year’s challenge kicks off next month.
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