07/06/2022

Innovation in programming is the topic of a lecture at VFX Rio.

VFX Rio, a Brazilian event dedicated to visual effects, cinema, games and new technologies, is hosting a lecture on so-called “geometry nodes” , a term that refers to programming games, films, and other virtual pieces using “logical nodes”. Blender developer Dalai Felinto, who worked as a research assistant at Visgraf (IMPA's Computer Graphics Laboratory) , was invited to speak on the topic in a lecture this Wednesday (8), at 4:30 pm. Registration is free and can be done through the VFX Rio website.

Focused on modeling, animation, games, and video, the software developed by Blender is open source , relying on the collaboration of various developers. The "geometry nodes ," one of the software's innovations, connect developers and artists in the creative process. "We seek to understand how an artist would create visual content from scratch to bring a more practical way of doing this programming. They can create scenes parametrically, following a procedure. We work a lot with 'set dressing ,' which are the scenarios and scene objects, controlling this world from a system of defined rules," stated Dalai.

Visgraf's lead researcher, Luiz Velho, stated that the lecture presents a new way of programming focused on computer graphics. “Blender is the software we use in the lab for our modeling and programming in the metaverse. In the lecture, Dalai will explain how this way of customizing Blender programmatically came about. Instead of programming by writing, you can program by connecting 'boxes,' which simplifies the process for artists! It's an activity that is very interesting for those who want to explore these resources to the fullest,” he commented.

Dalai Felinto, à direita, em atividade no Visgraf

The talk will be moderated by Rafael Vallaperde, partner and Creative Director at Lightfarm Studios. Dalai also said that the expectation is to exchange experiences with the event's audience. "It's incredible to know that there are other people who share this mission of creating the best digital authoring tools and democratic access. I hope that this message of collaboration between developers and artists will bear more fruit in the future!", he said.