Ray Tracing

• tuned for specular and transparent objects
• global illumination for specular light
• partly physics-based: geometric optics

Ray tracing tree

  raytrace( ray )
     o find closest intersection
     o cast shadow ray, calculate colour_local
     o colour_reflect = raytrace( reflected_ray )
     o colour_refract = raytrace( refracted_ray )
     o colour = k1*colour_local + k2*colour_reflect
                                + k3*colour_refract
     o return( colour )

Comments

• computationally expensive
  • avoid intersection calculations
  • optimize intersection calculations
  • many other optimizations
• antialiasing
• distributed ray tracing
  • shadow penumbra
  • depth of field
  • motion blur
  • antialiasing