Scanline covers a family of rendering algorithms, different from the the
raytracing one, and faster. Its lower rendering quality is compensated by all
sorts of clever tricks that make the final image as good it should be
(opinions differ on this). Most professional rendering tools like 3DS are
basically scanline, so it may have been thought unfair to use heavy, costly
tools against freeware like pov, and, since the "R" in  IRTC stands for
raytracing, I guess it could be also thought to be against the rules.
However, 3DS and other pro tools now also use ray-tracing when its needed, so
there was no reason to exclude particular algorithms, and, after all, POV and
other freeware now compare well with professional tools (in term of final
output, not ease of use or speed).

G.

Tom Melly wrote:

> What is a scanline render, and why are they suspect in the IRTC - I did a
> search on the web, and as far as I can tell, it is a quick form of
> rendering, but I don't understand why this counts against the artist.

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