For a long period of time, the focus of computer graphics was mostly the quality and speed of image generation. Meanwhile, commercial rendering engines leave little to be desired, but computer graphics research has expanded to solve application problems through so-called “smart graphics”. In this talk, I will present some of our latest advances in “smart” computer graphics in simulation, rendering and content generation. I will show how we can now simulate visual impairments in virtual reality, which could be used to create empathy for people affected by these impairments. I will describe how we have advanced point-based rendering techniques to allow incorporating real environments into rendering applications with basically no preprocessing. On the other hand, virtual environments could be created efficiently by collaborative crowed-sourced procedural modeling. Finally, efficient simulations of floods and heavy rainfall may help experts and increase public awareness of natural disasters and the effects of climate change.