Raytracing Frequently Asked Questions

This is the comp.graphics.rendering.raytracing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List. Note that since March 2000, this FAQ has been maintained by Alexander Wilkie at http://www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/rayfaq/. However, because a lot of web pages point to my URL, I am keeping a copy here. However it is NOT updated. Sorry.

It's not the most definitive ray tracing reference you'll ever come across, but then, it was never meant to be. What it does set out to do is to answer some of the questions which keep cropping up on c.g.r.r and to give pointers to other references. It keeps the noise down on the group and we get to spend an extra 10 minutes in bed. This is a Good Thing.

It was originally cobbled together by Andy Wardley, <abw at peritas.demon.co.uk>, from answers posted to c.g.r.r (actually from when it was c.g.r), from information people have supplied and from other existing ray tracing lists and references, most notably, Eric Haines' Ray Tracing News and other lists. Since the spring of 1995, I have taken over the maintenance of the FAQ.

You may distribute this document to whoever, or wherever you like, as long as you keep the copyright message and give correct attributions for material used. This is just to stop nasty people with a substantial lack of moral fibre from taking the document and fobbing it off as their own. The FAQ belongs to the group, Andy just wrote it (and I update it).

Lines with a + in the first column have been added or changed recently. If you think that parts of the FAQ are outdated, or need improvement, please feel free to send me your updates, and I will try to maintain and update it, as time permits. Authors of utilities should definitely send updated descriptions if they feel their tool has improved since this was written.

If you're only reading this document because your machine is locked up tracing, remember that all things come to those who wait.

Table of Contents

• What is Ray Tracing?
• Ray Tracing Software
  • POV-Ray
  • Polyray
  • Vivid (including BOB)
  • Rayshade
  • Radiance and ADELINE
  • Others
  • Non-Ray Tracing Software
• FTP Sites, Web Sites, Bulletin Boards, etc.
  • FTP Sites
  • Bulletin Board Systems
  • Mailing Lists
  • Others
• Modelling Software
  • SCED
  • MORAY
  • GUM
  • Other Modellers
• Utilities and Other Software
  • Image Display/Conversion Programs
  • Format Conversion Utilities
  • Creation Creators
  • Texture Editors
  • Animation
  • Miscellaneous Utilities
• Further Information and Resources
  • On-line Resources
  • Other Newsgroups
  • Books
  • Image Libraries
  • Texture Libraries
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • "Who is..."
  • "This picture doesn't trace."
  • "I traced my picture, but I can't see anything."
  • "I traced my picture, but the output is garbage."
  • "How can I view these pictures?"
  • "Rotating this object doesn't work properly."
  • "Where can I find model data for..."
  • "Can I post binaries to this group?"
  • "What does this mean..."
  • "What is the difference between rendering and ray-tracing?"
  • "When will POV-Ray 3.0 come out?"
  • "Where are the .inc files for POV-Ray?"
• Credits...

You may have noticed one or two gaps in the FAQ or spotted a glaring error, or just thought of something that I really should have mentioned. If that's the case and you can provide some info or corrections, then let me know and sort it out. Note that most of the HTML FAQ is automatically generated, so there may be a few oddities here and there.

Well here you are at the end of the document, and your trace is still only half done. You've probably got time to walk the dog before it's finished...

Happy Tracing.

© Copyright 1994 Andy Wardley
© Copyright 1995, 1996 Andreas Dilger