Levoy first studied computer graphics as an
architecture student under
Donald P. Greenberg at
Cornell University. He received his B.Arch. in 1976 and M.S. in architecture in 1978. He developed a 2D
computer animation system as part of his studies, receiving the Charles Goodwin Sands Memorial Medal for this work. Greenberg and he suggested to
Disney that they use computer graphics in producing animated films, but the idea was rejected by several of the
Nine Old Men who were still active. Following this, they were able to convince
Hanna-Barbera Productions to use their system for television animation. Despite initial opposition by animators, the system was successful in reducing labor costs and helping to save the company, and was used until 1996. Levoy worked as director of the Hanna-Barbera Animation Laboratory from 1980 to 1983. He then did graduate study in computer science under
Henry Fuchs at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received his Ph.D. in 1989. While there, he published several important papers in the field of volume rendering, developing new algorithms (such as volume
ray tracing), improving efficiency, and demonstrating applications of the technique. ==Teaching career==