Celebrating student work from Imperial’s Computer Graphics course
Professor Bernhard Kainz highlights student work from the Department of Computing’s Computer Graphics course, where students develop rendering algorithms and visual effects using Imperial’s browser-based teaching framework. Outstanding work is recognised through awards for technical complexity and scene composition.
Computer Graphics combines algorithmic thinking, physical modelling and visual design. In the Department of Computing, the Computer Graphics course gives students the opportunity to apply these principles by building rendering systems and generating photorealistic images.
Students on the course work using ShaderLab Web, the department’s browser-based Computer Graphics teaching framework. The environment supports the development and testing of rendering algorithms directly in the browser.
As part of the course, students develop their own Computer Graphics rendering effects and implement a ray tracer using the web-based programming environment. Ray tracing is a physically grounded rendering technique that enables the creation of realistic images through the simulation of light transport within a scene.
For the final project, students are free to implement their own visual effects and scene designs. This typically results in a wide range of creative and technically sophisticated outcomes, reflecting different approaches to rendering and scene construction.
Outstanding work is recognised through two award categories. The Technical Complexity award highlights advanced rendering features such as physically correct refraction, volumetric effects and global illumination. The Scene Composition award recognises visually compelling and creative scene design.
Technical Complexity Award
The winning submissions demonstrated physically accurate refraction and reflection, advanced material modelling and carefully constructed lighting setups, resulting in highly realistic renderings.
Forest Li (fl1123) 
Runner-ups:
Baekhyeon Sung (bs1723)
Max Ryan (mtr23)
Scene Composition Award
The winning submissions combined complex geometry with strong artistic direction, producing visually distinctive scenes with coherent lighting and material design.
Cheng Tan (ct1022)
Runner-up
Noam Tal (nt1825)
Award recipients receive API credits to support further experimentation with modern Computer Graphics and AI systems.