On the afternoon of April 15, the 15th session of the Research Navigation Program was held in Classroom E305 of the Teaching Building at the Sangpu Mountain Campus. Associate Professor Peng Xiongbin from the Department of Mechanical Engineering delivered a lecture themed “The Evolution of Light and Shadow – Principles, Development and AI-Era Transformation of Rendering Technology”.

Peng systematically explained the underlying logic of traditional rendering technologies such as raster rendering and ray tracing. Combining film, television and game examples including Avatar: The Way of Water and Cyberpunk 2077, he broke down the implementation paths and application limitations of lighting and shadow technologies, and clearly presented the development of rendering technology from physical simulation to data-driven approaches.

Focusing on technological transformation in the AI era, Peng highlighted the core principles of neural rendering and compared its significant efficiency improvement over traditional rendering. Using domestic AIGC animated films as examples, he demonstrated how AI technologies have greatly shortened production cycles and reshaped industrial production pipelines. He also objectively analyzed practical challenges brought by AI rendering, such as career transformation for practitioners, copyright and ethical issues.

This lecture built an interdisciplinary platform for technical exchanges, helping students gain in-depth insights into cutting-edge trends and industrial applications of rendering technology, and providing useful ideas for scientific research innovation and practical applications in related fields.

Images and Text: Qi Shanshan