You Can't Mock Reality: Testing a 3D Rendering Pipeline in Blender

7 days ago

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Testing a 3D rendering pipeline in Blender requires a different approach than traditional unit testing.
Integration tests are crucial because Blender's behavior depends on many factors like version, model format, and hardware.
Blender can behave unpredictably, such as improperly importing models without throwing errors, necessitating real-world testing.
A Golden Dataset of hundreds of real models is used to test various scenarios and ensure rendering accuracy.
Testing must be done on real hardware to match production environments, as hardware affects rendering outcomes.
Traditional testing pyramids are inverted in 3D rendering, with integration tests forming the foundation.
Blender's flexibility and power come with non-obvious issues, making thorough testing essential.
The article emphasizes that mocks and documentation can't replace real-world testing in complex runtimes like Blender.

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