POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.unofficial.patches : relativity : relativity Server Time
2 May 2024 19:17:33 EDT (-0400)
  relativity  
From: Rohan Bernett
Date: 28 Nov 2002 23:45:05
Message: <web.3de6ef98c20e2bf3c571aa6c0@news.povray.org>
Would it be possible to create a patch for Povray that would allow it to
turn it into a relativistic raytracer?

In case you don't already know, a relativistic raytracer is able to make
calculations for the finite speed of light as happens in the real world
(unlike the infinite speed used in normal raytracing). This allows to see
the weird effects that occur at velocities approaching the speed of light
(abberation, doppler shift, and increase in brightness in the direction of
motion).

There is a relativistic raytracer called Backlight, which uses a variation
of the Povray scene description language. The problem with it is its
features are very limited, and it is _extremely_ picky about syntax. One
missed comma, and it won't render, do the same in Povray, and it will
usually still be happy to render. Another problem with Backlight involves
making animations, you have to put hundreds of cameras in the scene - one
per frame of the animation.

Anybody think this could be done by modifying the Povray source code?

Rohan _e_ii


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