Rendering is a special field of computer graphics. Its subject is the synthesis of images or image sequences from the description of a three-dimensional scene. The range of this topic goes from on-line image synthesis, supported by special purpose hardware, to detailed simulations of optical models of light. Examples are the realistic display of a car body designed in a CAD system using graphics workstations equipped with shading hardware, or the simulation of a room which considers the correct technical parameters of the light sources installed. Other applications are in visual simulation systems for the training of pilots or drivers of cars or ships for which optical effects in participating media are of particular importance.

Face to face with these economically relevant applications basic research problems emerge from the demand of fast image synthesis in applications on one side, and the inherent computational complexity of this problem on the other side. A typical task is the development of approximate solutions allowing the calculation of correct optical effects with sufficient accuracy, but with practical efficiency. Another emphasis lies on the development of solutions in massively parallel environments. In the last ten years, significant progress has been made, but still there remains considerable work to be done. The list of participants of this Dagstuhl Seminar comprehends many researchers significant in this field.

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One idea of this Dagstuhl Seminar was to exchange the requirements of systems, interfaces, and efficient algorithmic solutions to be developed. Another goal of the seminar was to provide an opportunity for discussing ideas and work in progress. International conferences with their densely packed schedules leave practically no room for this sort of scientific exchange. The reactions of the participants after the seminar showed that these aims were evidently achieved. There were unexpected results and new ideas that caused extraordinarily intensive and emotional discussions, and the excellent session about Monte-Carlo techniques was a unique event.

The particular atmosphere of Dagstuhl was additionally stimulative, and obliging staff, good food, fine weather, and the heavily used new sporting facilities of Dagstuhl certainly contributed to the harmonic atmosphere among the about fourty participants from twelve countries. There is a requirement of an event of the type of Dagstuhl Seminars, and it was the broad opinion that a new seminar on rendering should take place in the future.