Distributed ray tracing

TLDR

Ray tracing elegantly handles shadows, reflections, and refraction, but its precise ray directions have limited its ability to model fuzzy phenomena. The study proposes distributing ray directions based on analytic functions to enable fuzzy phenomena in ray tracing. The method assigns ray directions by sampling from an analytic function, allowing fuzzy effects to be incorporated. The approach yields correct, straightforward solutions for motion blur, depth of field, penumbras, translucency, and fuzzy reflections, integrating these effects with visible surface calculations and avoiding earlier issues.

Abstract

Ray tracing is one of the most elegant techniques in computer graphics. Many phenomena that are difficult or impossible with other techniques are simple with ray tracing, including shadows, reflections, and refracted light. Ray directions, however, have been determined precisely, and this has limited the capabilities of ray tracing. By distributing the directions of the rays according to the analytic function they sample, ray tracing can incorporate fuzzy phenomena. This provides correct and easy solutions to some previously unsolved or partially solved problems, including motion blur, depth of field, penumbras, translucency, and fuzzy reflections. Motion blur and depth of field calculations can be integrated with the visible surface calculations, avoiding the problems found in previous methods.