Lecture

Ray Tracing: Fundamentals

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

Description

This lecture introduces the fundamentals of ray tracing, starting with the generation of rays through pixels and their intersection with geometric primitives like spheres and planes. The instructor explains the implicit equations used to represent shapes, the process of solving quadratic equations for ray-sphere intersections, and the calculation of distances to planes. The lecture also touches on more complex shapes like cylinders and challenges students to explore torus intersections. By the end, students will have a basic understanding of how to implement a ray tracer and look forward to enhancing their images with lighting effects in the next session.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Mathematics

Geometry: Euclidean geometry

Computer engineering

Computer graphics: Rendering

Related concepts (32)

Computer graphics

Computer graphics deals with generating s and art with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, digital art, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great deal of specialized hardware and software has been developed, with the displays of most devices being driven by computer graphics hardware. It is a vast and recently developed area of computer science. The phrase was coined in 1960 by computer graphics researchers Verne Hudson and William Fetter of Boeing.

Quadratic equation

In algebra, a quadratic equation () is any equation that can be rearranged in standard form as where x represents an unknown value, and a, b, and c represent known numbers, where a ≠ 0. (If a = 0 and b ≠ 0 then the equation is linear, not quadratic.) The numbers a, b, and c are the coefficients of the equation and may be distinguished by respectively calling them, the quadratic coefficient, the linear coefficient and the constant coefficient or free term.

3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics, sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional , are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering , usually s but sometimes s. The resulting images may be stored for viewing later (possibly as an animation) or displayed in real time. 3D computer graphics, contrary to what the name suggests, are most often displayed on two-dimensional displays.

Triangle

A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted . In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non-collinear, determine a unique triangle and simultaneously, a unique plane (i.e. a two-dimensional Euclidean space). In other words, there is only one plane that contains that triangle, and every triangle is contained in some plane.

3D rendering

3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of converting 3D models into 2D images on a computer. 3D renders may include photorealistic effects or non-photorealistic styles. Rendering is the final process of creating the actual 2D image or animation from the prepared scene. This can be compared to taking a photo or filming the scene after the setup is finished in real life. Several different, and often specialized, rendering methods have been developed.

Related lectures (64)

Lighting and Rendering in Rhino

Explores lighting, rendering, and Vray novelties in Rhino, covering directional, rectangular, and punctual lights.

AutoCAD 3D Lighting Basics

Explores AutoCAD 3D lighting basics, including extrusion, rendering, and camera settings.

Analytical Geometry: Bisectors and Areas

Explores the properties of bisectors and areas in Analytical Geometry.

Physically-Based Rendering: Light Paths Quest

Explores physically-based rendering, focusing on light transport simulations and material appearance models, discussing challenges and advanced algorithms for realistic computer-generated images.

Finite Element Method: Higher Order Models