Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rutgers!ucla-cs!zen!ucbvax!decvax!savax!elrond!amamaral From: amamaral@elrond.CalComp.COM (Alan Amaral) Newsgroups: comp.graphics Subject: Re: Ray tracing and caustics. Message-ID: <1037@elrond.CalComp.COM> Date: Mon, 13-Jul-87 09:42:55 EDT Article-I.D.: elrond.1037 Posted: Mon Jul 13 09:42:55 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jul-87 02:47:19 EDT References: <219@sugar.UUCP> Organization: Calcomp, A Lockheed Company, Hudson, NH, USA Lines: 24 Keywords: ray-tracing caustics algorithm reality Summary: It's been done... In article <219@sugar.UUCP>, peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter DaSilva) writes: > what it was: it had a nice diffuse shadow, but there was no caustic in and > around the shadow from the refraction of light rays from the light source. > It has occurred to me that I have never seen such an effect in ray-traced > images. It shouldn't be too hard: you would have to reverse ray-trace from It's been done by several people. The one that I've been most impressed with is the Rendering Equation by Jim Kajiya. Basically, it is an extension of distributed ray tracing that handles things like caustics and subtle interactions of light bouncing from one surface to another (i.e. light bouncing off of a red wall onto a white wall causing a pink area to be formed). The really neat thing about the rendering equation is that it can be incorporated into a standard ray tracer without major change. It's written up in the '86 Siggraph conference proceedings. -- uucp: ...decvax!elrond!amamaral I would rather be a phone: (603) 885-8075 fool than a king... us mail: Calcomp/Sanders DPD (PTP2-2D01) Hudson NH 03051-0908