Ray tracing is a graphics technique used to simulate the realistic behavior of light in a virtual environment. This word is spelled as /reɪ ˈtreɪsɪŋ/, which is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription. The first syllable, "ray," is pronounced like the word "ray" or the vowel sound in "day." The second syllable, "tracing," starts with the consonant sound /t/ followed by the diphthong sound /reɪ/ and ends with the ending consonant sound /sɪŋ/, pronounced like the word "sing."
Ray tracing is a computer graphics technique used to render realistic three-dimensional scenes by simulating the behavior of light. It involves tracing the path of individual rays of light as they interact with objects in a scene, ultimately determining the final appearance of each pixel in an image.
In ray tracing, a virtual camera is placed in the scene, and rays are cast from the camera into the scene. These rays travel until they hit an object or a light source. Upon intersection, new rays are spawned, bouncing off the surface according to the laws of reflection and refraction. This process continues recursively until the rays either reach a light source or traverse a specified distance, forming a path that models how light would actually behave in the real world.
These rays carry information about the color and intensity of the light they are involved with. By collecting and processing this information, ray tracing reconstructs the whole scene with accurate lighting, shadows, reflections, and refractions, resulting in highly realistic images. It is often used in fields like computer animation, video games, and architectural design as it provides a more physically accurate representation of scenes.
Although the technique is computationally intensive and can require significant computational resources, advancements in hardware and software have enabled real-time ray tracing, allowing for enhanced visual experiences and more immersive virtual environments.
The word "ray tracing" is composed of two parts: "ray" and "tracing".
The term "ray" comes from Middle English "rai", which originated from the Old French word "rai" meaning "ray of light" or "beam". This can be traced back to the Latin word "radius", meaning "spoke" or "ray".
The term "tracing" comes from the Old French word "tracer", which means "to make a track or mark". This word ultimately comes from the Latin word "tractus", meaning "pulling" or "drawing".
So, "ray tracing" essentially refers to the process of tracking or tracing the path of rays of light, which is commonly used in graphics rendering to simulate the behavior of light in virtual environments.