What is ray tracing?
Ray tracing simulates the way light reflects and refracts in the real world, bringing an extra level of realism to games.
It is a powerful technique used in computer graphics to create visually appealing and highly realistic images. By tracing the path of the light rays from the simulated camera's perspective, ray tracing enables the accurate calculation of how light interacts with the object's surface. It leads to creating images with realistic lighting, shadows, reflections, and refractions.
How does it work?
The process of ray tracing involves simulating the behavior of the light rays as they travel though the virtual scene.
The steps involved in the process of ray tracing are given below.
Ray generation
The first step in ray tracing is the generation of the primary rays that originate from the viewpoint of the simulated camera. These rays extend into the virtual scene, passing through each pixel on the image plane.
The primary rays serve as the initial paths for tracing light interactions within the scene.
Ray-object intersection
The next step is to determine if the primary rays intersect with any objects in the scene, such as triangles representing the 3D models.
By the intersection point, the ray tracing algorithm identifies which objects are visible to the virtual camera.
Shading and lighting calculation
For each intersection point, the image renderer calculates the shading and lighting of the surface. It involves determining the intensity and color of the light that interacts with the surface, considering factors such as the material properties, light sources, and the angle of incidence.
Reflection
In the case of reflective surfaces, secondary rays, called the reflection rays, are traced from the intersection point in the direction of the reflected light.
Such recursive tracing process allows for the accurate reflection effects.
Refraction
For transparent materials like glass, additional rays, known as the refraction rays, are traced to simulate the bending of the light as it passes through the material.
Shadows
To determine shadows, secondary rays are cast from the intersection points towards each light source. If an object blocks these rays, the point is in shadow and does not receive direct illumination.
Recursive ray tracing
Ray tracing involves the recursive calculations of refraction. When refraction occurs, the process is repeated with the new rays, tracing their paths and gathering information from each following intersection point.
Applications of ray tracing
Ray tracing has extensive applications, some of which are given below.
Gaming
Ray tracing is used in video games and CGI for creating realistic lighting and high-quality visual effects.
Architectural visualization
Architects and designers use ray tracing to produce realistic renderings of buildings and interiors, providing clients with the accurate visualizations of their projects.
Film and animation
Ray tracing is an important tool in film production, allowing animators to create realistic animations by adding special effects.
Product design and prototyping
Ray tracing aids in product design and prototyping by visualizing virtual prototypes with realistic lighting and material properties.
Scientific visualization
Researchers use ray tracing to visualize complex scientific data and simulations, enabling better understanding and analysis of the data.
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