Ray Tracing is the process of simulating light propagation in an image. This process allows the rendering of real world objects on a computer screen with all the subtle lighting effects such as shadows and reflections that are present in the real world. In this blog, we will discuss different types of Ray Tracing algorithms and some real life examples of where Ray Tracing comes into play.
Moreover, we will also try to understand how ray tracing works in the real world and how it is different from traditional rendering.
What is Ray Tracing?
Ray Tracing is a rendering technique in which rays are sent out from a light source and they intersect with the object. The process of tracing the ray through the scene is done until it intersects the first object. The way a ray is traced is called Ray Tracing Algorithm.
Ray Tracing is a method of rendering 3D scenes. Ray tracing algorithms have been used in games for decades and have been a part of almost all rendering algorithms.
Ray tracing is different from rasterization in that it does not use a grid to represent the scene. It uses rays to sample the scene and the objects in the scene are represented by a collection of polygons.
Ray Tracing Algorithms
Ray Tracing is a computationally intensive rendering technique. It is because of this that most of the Ray Tracing algorithms use a lot of memory and are very slow.
This is where GPUs come into play. GPUs are designed to render complex scenes at high speeds and also are very good at storing data in memory. GPUs are also able to perform calculations at high speeds. This is why we use them to perform Ray Tracing.
Moreover, we will also take a look at some of the recent developments in the field of Ray Tracing. The following are some of the areas where Ray Tracing can be used:
Rendering
Rendering is the process of producing a 2D image or a 3D model of a real world scene on a computer screen. In this process, the scene is broken down into many small parts called voxels. A voxel is the smallest 3D element in a scene. Each voxel is a cube. This cube is then subdivided into smaller cubes called pixels.
A pixel is the smallest element in a voxel. These pixels are the smallest elements in a scene and are usually colored in red, green, blue, and/or gray. These colored pixels are then combined together to produce a 2D image or 3D model of a real world scene on a computer screen. Ray Tracing is a special kind of rendering that uses rays to simulate the propagation of light in a scene.
A ray is a line that starts from a point on the camera and extends into the scene. The ray traces its path through the scene and stops at the point where it intersects with the closest object. Let’s take an example to understand the concept of Ray Tracing.
Finally, we will see some examples of real life applications of Ray Tracing. Example of Ray Tracing A camera is placed in front of a tree. The camera is set at a distance of 50 meters from the tree.
The camera is set to take a picture of the tree at a resolution of 2 megapixels. The tree is a small part of a forest. In the picture above, you can see a tree that is in the foreground and a large mountain in the background.
Let’s assume that the camera is placed at a distance of 50 meters from the tree. The rays emitted from the camera are perpendicular to the ground and travel into the scene. When the rays reach the tree, they start to interact with the tree. The rays are reflected by the leaves of the tree and then reach the camera.
As the rays are reflected by the leaves, the rays are able to capture more and more information about the tree. As the rays continue to move, they eventually reach the top of the tree. When the rays reach the top of the tree, they intersect with the leaves. As the rays reach the top of the tree, they capture more and more information about the tree. When the rays reach the top of the tree, they intersect with the leaves. The rays are reflected by the leaves and they reach the camera. As the rays reach the camera, they capture more and more information about the tree.
