page_title: Cel shading
section_title: Basic process
hierarchical_section_title: Cel shading / Basic process
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a cel shaded rendering of two isosurfaces, one opaque and one semi-transparent, of the probability density of a particle in a quantum mechanical system. The image was taken as a screenshot in a simulation of a particle in a box. The colors are obtained from the phase angle of the probability amplitude, which is a complex-valued function.
context_page_description: Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades. A cel shader is often used to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon and/or give the render a characteristic paper-like texture. There are similar techniques that can make an image look like a sketch, an oil painting or an ink painting. It appeared around the beginning of the twenty-first century. The name comes from cels, clear sheets of acetate which were painted on for use in traditional 2D animation.
context_section_description: The cel-shading process starts with a typical 3D model.  Where cel-shading differs from conventional rendering is in its non-photorealistic illumination model.  Conventional smooth lighting values are calculated for each pixel and then quantized to a small number of discrete shades to create the characteristic "flat look", where the shadows and highlights appear as blocks of color rather than being smoothly mixed in a gradient.
caption: Cel-shaded rendering of two isosurfaces of the probability density of a particle in a box
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