About Rendering
Rendering in computer graphics is the process by which a collection of 3D mesh
objects is transformed into a recognisable picture.
Traditional artists usually sketch pencil outlines to guide their painting. Digital
artists who deal with objects (as opposed to mathematical entities such as fractals) use the same
approach.
First, all the components of the picture (mountains, houses, window frames,
tree leaves, people) are created as 3D mesh objects. Then texture images (such as grass, rock, wood,
plain colours) are digitally attached to each object, and the lighting (position of the sun and any
other light sources) specified.
Then the “render” button is pressed, and the computer calculates how each pixel in
the textured meshes should look. For large pictures such as ours, rendering typically involves
quadrillions of calculations and takes hours, sometimes days.
Wikipedia has lots more on this topic.
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