>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.


Tom,

I raised a question (recently) about scanline renderers simply because they
are not raytracers and the IRTC stands for the Internet *R*ay*t*racing
Competition -- somewhat akin to entering acrylics in an oil-painting
contest.  It's not that one is bad or good, easy or hard -- just that
acrylics are not oils.

However, the lines between the two (scanline and raytracing) are blurring
becuase the scanline renderers are incorporating raytracing into their
engines.

As to whether or not it is cheating to use a scanline renderer? Absolutely
not.  Here's the question/answer from the IRTC FAQ that was pointed out to
me when I raised the same issue:

[1.1.9] Can I use a scan-line renderer instead of a ray tracer? How about
one that uses some other rendering technique?
Yes, all algorithms are welcome. The quality should be equivalent to modern
ray tracers, though, or your image will compare badly with the other
entries. Note--we do not consider photocopying or paint programs to be
"renderers". The image should be generated by a computer, algorithmically.

Claire

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