Pol Jeremias Vila

Pol Jeremias Vila

Computer Graphics Leadership

Biography

Pol Jeremias Vila is a computer graphics engineer. He is currently leading rendering at Netflix Games Studio Blue. Previously, he was a Senior Lead Graphics Engineer at Pixar Animation Studios where he contributed to the leadership and development of filmmaking technologies such as USD/Hydra, OpenSubdiv, Storm and Presto. Pol is credited in multiple films including Luca, Soul, Toy Story 4, Incredibles 2, Coco, Finding Dory and more. Prior to filmmaking, Pol worked in rendering technology for multiple games including Star Wars 1313 and The Force Unleashed 2 at LucasArts.

Aside from his contributions to films and games, Pol co-founded Beautypi LLC with Iñigo Quilez, a company dedicated to bringing computer graphics everywhere. In 2013, Beautypi released Shadertoy.com, a global social network with tens of thousands of contributors that enables graphics enthusiasts to create and share computer graphics knowledge. Today, Shadertoy is one of the biggest repositories of computer graphics experiments, ideas, and projects. In 2020, Beautypi released Memix, a software to improve video conferencing using computer graphics technology. Memix was acquired that same year by Mmhmm Inc. In 2022, Pol received the ACM SIGGRAPH Practitioner Award for the development of Shadertoy and other contributions to computer graphics.

Pol has spoken at and juried work for multiple international conferences and events, including the Game Developers Conference, SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, FMX, GTC, and Eurographics. From 2012 to 2021, Pol was involved with SIGGRAPH, the premiere conference in computer graphics, he directed the Computer Animation Festival, Real-Time Live!, and the Immersive program. In 2021 Pol was be the SIGGRAPH Conference Chair.

Pol was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 2006 and currently resides in San Francisco with his wife and two daughters.

Interests

  • Computer Graphics
  • Game Development
  • Emulators & Retro Gaming

Education

  • MSc in Computer Science, 2009

    University of Southern California

  • BSc in Multimedia, 2007

    Universitat Ramon Llull - La Salle

Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Lead Rendering Engineer

Netflix Games Studio Blue

Jan 2022 – Present California

Responsibilities over the years include:

  • Lead Rendering Engineer @ Netflix Games Studio Blue: Building a brand-new AAA multi-platform game.
  • Director, Real-time Production Tools & Staff Software Engineer @ Netflix: Contributing to leadership and development of real-time tools for filmmaking and transmedia.
 
 
 
 
 

Senior Lead Graphics Engineer

Pixar Animation Studios

May 2015 – Jan 2022 California

Contributed to leadership, development and/or mantainance of the following packages used to make films such as Soul, Coco, Finding Dory and more:

  • Hydra: Part of the Universal Scene Description distribution. Hydra is a plugable system to transport data from multiple scene graph data to multiple renderers. Learn more
  • Storm: Also part of the Universal Scene Description distribution. Storm is preview renderer used in Pixar’s film production pipeline. Learn more
  • Presto: Pixar’s internal animation tool.
  • OpenSubdiv: Consistent representation of subdivision surfaces. Learn more
 
 
 
 
 

ACM SIGGRAPH Leadership

ACM SIGGRAPH

Jan 2015 – Dec 2021 California

Responsibilities over the years include:

  • Conference Advisory Group: Current.
  • SIGGRAPH 2021 Conference Chair: Current. Learn more
  • SIGGRAPH 2018 Immersive Chair: Expanded the presence of immersive technologies at SIGGRAPH by introducing a new space, the Immersive Pavilion. Learn more
  • SIGGRAPH 2017 Computer Animation Festival Director: Organized the Electronic Theater, created a team, selected a group of jurors, and developed and executed the show in Los Angeles. Additionally, Pol expanded the show into the VR space, developing and executing the first VR Theater. A physical space to enjoy VR content at SIGGRAPH. Learn more
  • SIGGRAPH 2016 Real Time Live Chair: Created a team and executed the 2016 edition of Real-Time Live, the live event that showcase the latest real-time rendering projects. Learn more
 
 
 
 
 

Co-Founder

Beautypi

Feb 2013 – Present California

Products:

  • Shadertoy: A global social network that enables programmers, artists, and students to push pixels from code to the screen. Learn more
  • Memix: A virtual camera to enhance video conferencing and live streams using computer graphics (Acquired by Mmhmm Inc). Learn more
 
 
 
 
 

Lead Engineer

Soma Play inc

Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 California
First employee of the company, built a team of engineers, and developed multiple games (console, PC and mobile).
 
 
 
 
 

Graphics Engineer

LucasArts

Jan 2009 – Dec 2013 California
Contributed to the graphics algorithms used in multiple games including Star Wars 1313 and The Force Unleashed 2.

Credits

*

Products

Memix

Memix

Memix.app enhances your video conferencing and live streams using computer graphics (Acquired by Mmhmm Inc).

Shadertoy

Shadertoy

Shadertoy.com is a social network that enables programmers, artists, and students to push pixels from code to the screen.

Publications

A deep dive into Universal Scene Description and Hydra
The present and future of real-time graphics in film
Advances in Real-Time Graphics at Pixar
How Real-Time Graphics Helps Pixar Make Feature Films
Advances in Real-Time Graphics at Pixar
Painting with Code
Discovering the New Frontier of Shadertoy
Real-Time Graphics for Film Production at Pixar
Painting with code
Shadertoy competition
Beauty: Real-Time Visuals
Solving Local Reflections: A Direct Methodology