Tom Porter (computer scientist)

After receiving a master's degree in computer science at Stanford University in 1975, Porter worked at the National Institutes of Health on computer visualization of molecular models and wrote software at Ampex for the world's first commercial digital paint program, AVA.

Porter joined Lucasfilm's Computer Research and Development Division in early 1981. He and Tom Duff, another Lucasfilm employee, developed a new approach to compositing images; their 1984 paper, "Compositing Digital Images",{{cite book|last1=Porter|first1=Thomas|first2=Tom|last2=Duff|chapter=Compositing digital images |authorlink2=Tom Duff|year=1984|title=Proceedings of the 11th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques|publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH|volume=18|issue=3|pages=253–259|doi=10.1145/800031.808606|isbn= 0-89791-138-5 |s2cid=18663039 |chapter-url= https://graphics.pixar.com/library/Compositing/}} is "[t]he seminal work on an algebra for image compositing", according to Keith Packard.Keith Packard's [https://keithp.com/~keithp/porterduff/ webpage about Porter & Duff's 1984 paper] "Porter-Duff compositing" is now a key technique in computer graphics.

Porter is listed as one of Pixar's 40 founding employees at the time of its spin-out as a corporation with funding from Steve Jobs in 1986.{{Cite web|url=http://alvyray.com/Pixar/default.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050427012806/http://alvyray.com/Pixar/default.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-04-27|title=Alvy Pixar History Page|date=2005-04-27|access-date=2018-08-23|df=mdy-all}}

Porter expanded on Robert L. Cook’s research into Monte Carlo techniques for image rendering, sampling visible objects not just (spatially) within each pixel but also (temporally) throughout the interval of time that the virtual shutter is open, creating a general solution for motion blur in computer-generated imagery. Porter created the image ‘1984’ as visual proof (and timestamp) of the breakthrough.{{cite news |last=Seymour |first=Mike |title=1984 – Pool Balls 25 Years Later |url=https://www.fxguide.com/featured/1984_-_pool_balls_25_years_later/ |accessdate=21 August 2018 |publisher=FX Guide|df=mdy-all}}

Porter's son, Spencer, was the inspiration for Luxo Jr., Pixar's mascot and the protagonist of the short film of the same name. Porter brought his infant son Spencer to work one day and John Lasseter, playing with the child, became fascinated with his proportions. It struck Lasseter as humorous that a baby's head is huge compared with the rest of its body, and he began to model a young lamp with that in mind.{{cite book|last=Price|first=David|year=2008|title=The Pixar Touch|location=New York|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|isbn=978-0-307-26575-3|ref=Price|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780307265753}} p. 90. 2009 Vintage Books edition: {{ISBN|978-0-307-27829-6}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=6ium9aok5yMC&pg=PA91 Excerpt available] at Google Books.

Porter has received three{{cite web|url=http://awardsandwinners.com/winner/?name=tom-porter&mid=/m/05v62_8|title=Tom Porter - Awards & Nominations|website=awardsandwinners.com|accessdate=7 March 2018|df=mdy-all}} Academy Scientific and Technical Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work with motion blur,{{Cite web|url=http://www.awardsandwinners.com/category/academy-awards/1992/|title=Academy Awards - 1992 {{!}} Winners & Nominees|quote="For development of "RenderMan" software providing the means to digitally create scenes or elements that may be composited with other footage."|website=www.awardsandwinners.com|language=en|access-date=2018-03-07|df=mdy-all}} digital compositing,{{cite news|url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/02/01/STYLE8516.dtl|title=Three Pixar execs get special Oscars|date=February 1, 1996|work=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=March 12, 2009|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web|url= http://www.awardsandwinners.com/category/academy-awards/1995/ |title=Academy Awards - 1995 {{!}} Winners & Nominees|quote="For their pioneering inventions in Digital Image Compositing." |website=www.awardsandwinners.com|language=en|access-date= 2018-03-07|df=mdy-all}} and digital painting.{{Cite web|url=http://www.awardsandwinners.com/category/academy-awards/1997/|title=Academy Awards - 1997 {{!}} Winners & Nominees |quote="For their pioneering efforts in the development of digital paint systems used in motion picture production." |website=www.awardsandwinners.com|language=en|access-date=2018-03-07|df=mdy-all}}

Porter worked on several Pixar films, notably as Supervising Technical Director of Monsters, Inc. and as associate producer of Cars and WALL-E, before assuming the role of SVP of film production at the studio.

Porter has an Erdős number of 3 in two distinct paths.{{multiref2|{{cite book|last1=Porter|first1=Thomas|first2=Tom|last2=Duff|chapter=Compositing digital images |authorlink2=Tom Duff|year=1984|title=Proceedings of the 11th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques|publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH|volume=18|issue=3|pages=253–259|doi=10.1145/800031.808606|isbn= 0-89791-138-5 |s2cid=18663039 |chapter-url= https://graphics.pixar.com/library/Compositing/}}

| N.J.A. Sloane, R.H. Hardin, T.S. Duff, J.H. Conway: "Minimal-Energy Clusters of Hard Spheres", Discrete & Computational Geometry 14, No. 3, 237-259, 1995.

| J.H. Conway, H.T. Croft, P. Erdos, M.J.T. Guy: "On the Distribution of Values of Angles Determined by Coplanar Points", J. London Math. Soc., II., Ser. 19, 137-143, 1979.}}{{multiref2

|{{cite journal|last1=Porter|first1=Thomas K|last2=Simon|first2=István|title=Random Insertion into a Priority Queue Structure|journal=IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering|volume=1|issue=3|pages=292–298|year=1975|doi=10.1109/TSE.1975.6312854 |s2cid=18907513 |url=https://dblp.uni-trier.de/pers/hd/p/Porter:Thomas.html}}

| Bollabás, Béla; Simon, István (1985). [https://dblp.uni-trier.de/pers/hd/b/Bollob=aacute=s:B=eacute=la.html Repeated Random Insertion into a Priority Queue]. J. Algorithms 6(4): 466–477.

|{{cite journal |last=Bollobás |first=B. |authorlink=Béla Bollobás |author2=Erdős, P. |authorlink2=Paul Erdős |year=1976 |title=On the structure of edge graphs |journal=Journal of Combinatorial Theory |series=Series B |volume=21 |pages=166–168 |issue=2 |url=https://dblp.uni-trier.de/db/journals/jct/jctb21.html |doi=10.1016/0095-8956(76)90057-5|doi-access=free }}}} One path is through Tom Duff, Porter's coauthor of "Composting Digital Images" in Computer Graphics. Duff was a coauthor of "Minimal-Energy Clusters of Hard Spheres" in Discrete & Computational Geometry with John Horton ConwayN.J.A. Sloane, R.H. Hardin, T.S. Duff, J.H. Conway: "Minimal-Energy Clusters of Hard Spheres", Discrete & Computational Geometry 14, No. 3, 237–259, 1995. and Conway coauthored "On the Distribution of Values of Angles Determined by Coplanar Points" with Paul Erdős (and H.T Croft and M.J.T Guy) in Journal of London Mathematical Society.J.H. Conway, H.T. Croft, P. Erdos, M.J.T. Guy: "On the Distribution of Values of Angles Determined by Coplanar Points", J. London Math. Soc., II., Ser. 19, 137–143, 1979. The other path is through István Simon, Porter's coauthor on "Random Insertion into a Priority Queue Structure" in IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering.{{cite journal |last1= Porter |first1=Thomas K|last2=Simon|first2=István|title=Random Insertion into a Priority Queue Structure|journal=IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=292–298 |year=1975 |doi=10.1109/TSE.1975.6312854 |s2cid=18907513 |url=https://dblp.uni-trier.de/pers/hd/p/Porter:Thomas.html }} Simon was a coauthor of "Repeated Random Insertion into a Priority Queue" in Journal of Algorithms with Béla Bollobás.Bollabás, Béla; Simon, István (1985). [https://dblp.uni-trier.de/pers/hd/b/Bollob=aacute=s:B=eacute=la.html Repeated Random Insertion into a Priority Queue]. J. Algorithms 6(4): 466–477. Bollabás authored 18 papers with Paul Erdős,Grossman, Jerry, [https://files.oakland.edu/users/grossman/enp/Erdos0p.html Erdos0p], Version 2010, [https://www.oakland.edu/enp The Erdős Number Project], Oakland University, US, October 20, 2010. including "On the structure of edge graphs"{{cite journal |last=Bollobás |first=B. |authorlink=Béla Bollobás |author2=Erdős, P. |authorlink2=Paul Erdős |year=1973 |title=On the structure of edge graphs |journal=Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society |volume=5 |pages=317–321 |doi=10.1112/blms/5.3.317 |issue=3 }} and "On a Ramsey-Turán type problem"{{cite journal |last=Bollobás |first=B. |authorlink=Béla Bollobás |author2=Erdős, P. |authorlink2=Paul Erdős |year=1976 |title=On a Ramsey-Turán type problem |journal=Journal of Combinatorial Theory |series=Series B |volume=21 |pages=166–168 |issue=2 |url=https://dblp.uni-trier.de/db/journals/jct/jctb21.html |doi=10.1016/0095-8956(76)90057-5|doi-access=free }} in Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society and Journal of Combinatorial Theory, respectively.

• Porter appears in the 2007 documentary film, The Pixar Story (directed by Leslie Iwerks and also featuring Tom Hanks).{{IMDb title|1059955|The Pixar Story}}

• List of Pixar staff
• List of people by Erdős number
• Erdős–Bacon number

• {{cite journal|last1=Porter|first1=Thomas K|last2=Simon|first2=István|title=Random Insertion into a Priority Queue Structure|journal=IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering|volume=1|issue=3|pages=292–298|year=1975|doi=10.1109/TSE.1975.6312854 |s2cid=18907513 }}
• {{cite journal|last1=Cook|first1=Robert L.|authorlink=Robert L. Cook|first2=Thomas K|last2=Porter|first3=Loren|last3=Carpenter|authorlink3=Loren Carpenter|year=1984|title=Distributed ray tracing|journal=Computer Graphics|publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH |volume=18|issue=3|pages=137–145|doi=10.1145/964965.808590|doi-access=free}}
• {{cite book|last1=Porter|first1=Thomas|first2=Tom|last2=Duff|chapter=Compositing digital images |authorlink2=Tom Duff|year=1984|title=Proceedings of the 11th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques|publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH|volume=18|issue=3|pages=253–259|doi=10.1145/800031.808606|isbn= 0-89791-138-5 |s2cid=18663039 |chapter-url= https://graphics.pixar.com/library/Compositing/}}
• {{cite journal|last1=Porter|first1=Tom|first2=Galyn|last2=Susman |title=Creating Lifelike Characters in Pixar Movies|url= https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2000/1/7745-on-site-creating-lifelike-characters-in-pixar-movies/abstract |journal=Communications of the ACM |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery|date=January 1, 2000|doi=10.1145/323830.323839 |s2cid=43791147 |access-date=March 13, 2009|df=mdy-all|doi-access=free}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Computer graphics professionals

Category:Lucasfilm people

Category:Pixar people

Category:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni

Category:Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)