To all who strut around talking importantly about what they know about texture and bump mapping, know this: The inventor of both, and the only two-time Siggraph Society award recipient is this man (both the Achievement and the Coons Award). The giants in the field, the originators are still walking among us. Be awed! Jim Blinn is the person who brought to us all the first 3D created pictures of the Voyager fly-bys, when he first put textures onto 3D wire frames, while working at JPL. Later, Dr. Carl Sagan recruited his help for the "Cosmos" TV series. He said, one day while struggling with the look of his textures, he happened to look down at some leather shoes he was wearing. As he watched and saw the light of the setting sun, increase the apparent roughness of the texture of the leather, he got the idea that he might be able to create a pseudo 3D texture as well, and after much experimentation came up with bump mapping. He now works for MS.

Behind him, in profile, you can see Dr. Anthony De Rose. Winner of the Siggraph 1999 Achievement Award. His mathematical research is bringing him within reach of a third viable surface subdivision category, other than polygons and patches. Should he get there, it will once more revolutionize the way computer graphics is being implemented.