Project
Shadow Mapping Tech Talk
Tech Talk • January 2021
Summary:
Tech Talk on Shadow Mapping I created and delivered to 40+ computer science students and faculty at the Churchill College Talk Series. This included a live demo of the technique using my custom Java OpenGL renderer to show practical applications.
Project Description
For this project, I dove into Shadow Mapping, a key technique in modern real-time 3D graphics rendering. After researching the technical underpinnings and algorithmic challenges, I created and delivered a comprehensive 25-minute presentation that broke down the technical concepts into digestible pieces to explain it clearly to others who had never seen it before.
I delivered this talk to 40+ computer science students and faculty members as part of the Churchill College Computer Science Talks series in January 2021. The presentation featured a live demonstration using my custom-built Java/OpenGL renderer, showcasing real-world applications of the technique.
Talk Abstract
Real-time 3D graphics are a key aspect of many fields nowadays, such as modern computer games. These aim to achieve a level of realism that would not be possible without the presence of shadows caused by directional and point lights. However, due to the nature of the rendering pipeline, special techniques must be used to be able to render images with shadows.
In this talk, I will introduce the main technique used nowadays: Shadow Mapping. We will go through the idea behind Shadow Mapping and how it is implemented, discussing the possible artefacts that may occur and how to mitigate them. I will conclude with an interactive demo visualising the different parts of the process.
The talk's slides and demo code repository are available on my GitHub.