Texture artist Jarrod Hasenjager posted a page of various metal materials study: aluminum, brass, bronze, chrome, copper, gold, iron, lead and steel, and rusted steel and iron. According to the description, the renders are done in Houdini, and the look is driven by artistic taste and personal experience rather than from physical values.
On March 7th, route of flight Alaska Airlines 870 was slightly adjusted to meet the path of the solar eclipse happening on that day. On board was astronomer Mike Kentrianakis, who recorded the following video where the eclipse is visible from begin to end.
This paper, published by Martin Lambers in the Journal of Computer Graphics Techniques, compares different mappings between sphere and disc, and between disc and square. It is worth noting that the source code is available on the publication page.
Mappings between Sphere, Disc, and Square.
Abstract:
A variety of mappings between a sphere and a disc and between a disc and a square, as well as combinations of both, are used in computer graphics applications, resulting in mappings between spheres and squares. Many options exist for each type of mapping; to pick the right methods for a given application requires knowledge about the nature and magnitude of mapping distortions.This paper provides an overview of forward and inverse mappings between a unit sphere, a unit disc, and a unit square. Quality measurements relevant for computer graphics applications are derived from tools used in the field of map projection, and a comparative analysis of the mapping methods is given.
Following the publication of an article on the topic of vector implementation and the discussion that followed on Twitter, I updated the reading list Readings on vector class optimization.