Noriko Kurachi, author of the book "CG Magic," recently passed away.
I met Kurachi at Autodesk University several years ago, and she has been a figure at many industry trade shows, particularly SIGGRAPH. She was a very tiny woman, but her enthusiasm for the industry was enormous.
For years Kurachi wrote a monthly column for the Japanese magazine "CGWorld," covering topics that spanned various CG technologies. Hoping to write a book, she selected the topic of rendering, and published a book at the end of 2007 in Japan called "CG Magic: Rendering." With the success of the book in Asia, she then toiled to have it translated into English for a wider audience. Following the ever-growing developments in the industry, she updated the book during the translation period, garnering support for her project from many industry researchers, including Paul Debevec and Jos Stam, among others.
Prior to the book's release, Kurachi wrote a Viewpoint column for "Computer Graphics World" in October 2010. She was in the process of sharing her vast knowledge once more with CGW's readers in a number of planned pieces prior to her recent passing.
It was always a pleasure to see Kurachi at SIGGRAPH, where she greeted me with a kind hug, wide smile, and a gift to let me know she was thinking of me. What a gracious woman. May she rest in peace.