I've setup a custom build environment with NodeJS that allows me to automate and quickly iterate. ThreeJS allows me to go deep into custom shaders while providing all the scaffolding for quick prototyping. CoffeeScript makes dealing with JS a bit smoother. And all this is just an excuse to get my hands on GLSL.
Everybody is doing PBR rendering these days. I prefer playing around with NPR. I believe it allows humans to use their imagination to build upon the world presented.
Is a lighting technique designed to prevent the rear of an object losing it's shape and looking too flat. Gives a purely percieved visual enhancement and is an example of a forgiving lighting model. Valve
A few artists friends noticed that many Pixar lighting concepts used saturation to model occlusion. As light falls off saturation increases, creating smoother occlusions and colorful shadows.
Wikipedia describes Superformula as a generalization of the superellipse that can be used to describe many complex shapes and curves that are found in nature. Generating good UVs is key for using these shapes as content building blocks.
WIP experiment for randomly building spherical planets.