Julian Fong
About Julian Fong
Julian Fong is a Rendering Software Engineer at Pixar Animation Studios, where he has contributed to the development of PhotoRealistic RenderMan since 1999. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from The University of British Columbia and has made significant advancements in rendering techniques, including multi-threading and volumetric rendering.
Work at Pixar Animation Studios
Julian Fong has worked at Pixar Animation Studios as a Rendering Software Engineer since 1999. He has contributed to all releases of Pixar's PhotoRealistic RenderMan software, starting from version 3.9. His role involves enhancing rendering techniques and improving software performance for large-scale render farms. Fong's work includes implementing advanced features such as true volumetric rendering and full support for deep compositing, which enhance the visual effects capabilities of the software.
Education and Expertise
Julian Fong earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from The University of British Columbia, where he studied from 1993 to 1998. In addition to his technical education, he studied Piano Performance at The Royal Conservatory of Music, achieving the ARCT designation, and at the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, where he achieved the LRSM designation. He also obtained a Performer's Certificate from the Vancouver Academy of Music.
Background
Before joining Pixar, Julian Fong worked as a Software Engineering Co-op at Electronic Arts for three months in 1997 in the Vancouver, Canada Area. His early experience in the gaming industry provided him with a foundation in software engineering, which he later applied to his work in rendering technology at Pixar.
Achievements in Rendering Software Development
Julian Fong has made significant contributions to the development of rendering software. He designed and implemented a multi-threaded version of the REYES algorithm, which improved rendering efficiency. He also rewrote core libraries of the renderer to support multi-threading and enhanced the subdivision surface library, which became part of OpenSubdiv. Additionally, he fully implemented the VCM bidirectional integrator in the latest version of the renderer, advancing rendering techniques.