Abstract: Techniques for using user input to tune calls include receiving communication data from a first client device, at a server, directed to a second client device during a call between the first client device and the second client device; forwarding the communication data to the second device; receiving from one of the first client device or the second client device, first user input data; using the first user input data as an input to a call-tuning model; and modifying a call parameter of the call according to output from the call-tuning model in response to the first user input. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A technique for rendering an image of hair in a computer-generated scene is described. The scene includes a virtual light source and a hair virtual object comprising a material model. A hair shading function partly defining the material model is accessed. A set of random values is generated. The hair shading function is importance sampled by converting the set of random values into a set of light direction samples based on a Cauchy distribution. The probability density function of each converted light direction sample uses a Cauchy distribution. A light color value and a hair color value are computed for each light direction sample of the set of light direction samples. The light color values and the hair color values are weighted to determine a set of weighted values. A characteristic of a pixel representing part of the virtual object is determined based on the set of weighted values.