Ray tracing is an algorithm for generating 3D images and involves tracing rays of light around a virtual scene. Ray tracing is more computationally intensive than rasterization (which is used for video games) but is better at capturing phenomena like reflection and refraction. A simple raytracer can be written in a day, while complex ones requires advanced physics equations and statistical techniques. In this 90-minute talk, we'll cover enough material for you to build your own raytracer, and some more advanced features you could add to continue developing. Ray tracing lends itself to object-oriented programming so we'll also get some practice with typescript.

Presented by PDX Code Guild Instructor Matthew Cooper