Pixar’s Renderman is the visual effects software Hollywood didn’t think they needed (seriously, George Lucas sold off the Lucasfilm Computer Division in 1986). Years later, after producing landmark visual effects for films such as Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park and many more, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Pixar and the creators of Renderman with an Award of Merit in 2001 “For their significant advancements to the field of motion picture rendering as exemplified in Pixar’s ‘Renderman.’”
The first commercial version of Renderman was released 30 years ago this year. This video from Wired looks back at how the software changed the industry, and contributed to 27 of the last 30 Visual Effects Oscar winning films:
Video from Wired via Uncrate.