Read & Download A Biography of the Pixel (Leonardo)
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As someone who was BLOWN AWAY by Toy Story in 1995 as a high school kid, this movie just inspired me to study computers later in life I picked this book up because I wanted to learn about computer graphics (geometry in, pixels out) and the history and how it all worked and how it happened this book delivers.This book isn't a light read, I have a technical background, and I was very enjoyable (I read it in 3 days), but for someone who doesn't have a semi technical background, they may get lost. There isn't any math, but you do need some background IMO.I know this book took Alvy 10 years to write (50+ to live) and it's a masterpiece that will give future generations an understanding of how far we've come (because of Moore's Law) and the creativity of using those computational cycles.I will be re reading this book in the years to come, the paper version is beautiful, as you would expect from someone who co founded Pixar. Alvy Ray Smith Digital media has made and transformed our world. What are its roots, central principles, how did it evolve, who were the men and women who made it so? This book is a wonderful account of how simple, profound ideas came together to redefine how we transmit images and ideas in short, how modern digital culture came to be. The author, an early computer animation researcher and artist who went on to be a co founder of Pixar, was a significant player in that transformation. And anyone who has listened to Alvy Ray Smith talk over the years knows that he is a talented and engaging story teller. But he can also knock out great stories in print, and this book is jammed with them. With an eye on scientific and historical rigor, and a great sense of what makes a story worth telling, this is a fun and lively way to understand and appreciate some key concepts in how our modern world came about. Highly recommended! Alvy Ray Smith An amazing work by someone who actually helped invent the field that weaves the mathematical and visual underpinnings of the complex art that Alvy calls Digital Light. I had so many misunderstandings about events over the years like Steve Jobs inventing Pixar, that were cleared up.Since the computationally intense digital movies that began with Toy Story are now melding with most feature films and are included in most video games, definitely worth reading today.Not only fascinating so it keeps your attention, but gives insights so that I find myself gazing at a movie screen and saying so that's how they do it!One surprise is a description of both the quality of the algorithms required, but also the raw computing power needed to accomplish even the most basic visual manipulation. Alvy Ray Smith An great account! I love inclusion of graphs, pictures and photos. Some concepts are not so easy to grasp, so the visual make it make easier to access. Alvy Ray Smith I ran into Alvy Ray Smith at the SIGGRAPH conference in August 2023. I had a chance to sit and chat with him for several minutes. I bought this book as soon as I got home and read it in a few days after it arrived.This is a well researched book with extensive notes for anyone interested in following his research. He clearly defines the focus of the book is on the history of computers and computer graphics that lead to the first feature length movie produced entirely using CG Toy Story. As such, a lot of the book revolves around his own personal journey and is somewhat autobiographical. Still entertaining and informative.My career was in computer graphics for semiconductor computer aided design a field closely related field, but outside the bounds of the book's main focus. I could still see many parallels and I learned a few new things thanks to Alvy's extensive research. Alvy Ray Smith