Raytracing in Blender

xst · Post by **xst** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 8:16 pm

Are there any blender projects around, implementing real raytracing into blender? It annoys me quite a lot that reflections and refractions can only be simulated by hacks.

Where can I find more information about raytracing and blender?

The only alternative to blender, as I know, is openFX, but this must be run on Wine, which is not preferable.

LethalSideParting · Post by **LethalSideParting** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:42 am

Hiya mate,
Well, at the moment the Blender renderer can't do raytracing, which is a bit of a pain in the @$$, I agree. But there are some easy workarounds, so don't panic!!

1) POV-Ray. You mentioned Wine, so I'm assuming that you're on some flavour of Linux. POV-Ray is one of the best free raytracers in the world, full stop. Best of all, it's cross platform, so it'll run quite nicely on Linux (command line only, but it's quite fast!). There are python scripts which can export Blender data to POV-Ray. Go to the Elyiun.com forums (the python and plugins forum) and search for a script called Povanim, by a bloke called jms. That'll get you started...

2) Lightflow. To be honest, I don't use it an awful lot, but I've seen some very impressive results with it. Try going back to the Elysiun forums again and searching for Lightflow export, by eeshlo I think. Not sure if it's cross platform...

3) Rumours are that people are starting to try and build .rib export directly into Blender's sources. So if that works, you'll be able to use a fair number of commercial raytracers as well (BMRT, Renderman).

Hope this helped!

LethalSideParting

Jamesk · Post by **Jamesk** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 7:07 pm

LethalSideParting wrote:Rumours are that people are starting to try and build .rib export directly into Blender's sources.

That would be Green trying to cram a C++version of his Blenderman script into the source for native, built-in RIB-writing. Will probably be nice.

IoN_PuLse · Post by **IoN_PuLse** » Thu Nov 28, 2002 12:28 am

Just to let you know a lot of people who do strickly realism rendering don't use ray-tracing.

Oh and Lightflow is awesome.

green · Post by **green** » Thu Nov 28, 2002 1:07 am

Jamesk wrote:
LethalSideParting wrote:Rumours are that people are starting to try and build .rib export directly into Blender's sources.
That would be Green trying to cram a C++version of his Blenderman script into the source for native, built-in RIB-writing. Will probably be nice.

c, not c++

NateTG · Post by **NateTG** » Thu Nov 28, 2002 6:07 am

native rib writing would be awesome.

go, green, go!

im a fan.

RiNiK · Post by **RiNiK** » Sun Dec 08, 2002 10:52 am

Raytrace is better than scanline (but scanline is faster) and I think that many blender users want to do still images... (okay some peoples are mad and want to use raytrace in animation) so why have to do it in other software? I want Blender-Raytrace

xype · Post by **xype** » Sun Dec 08, 2002 9:23 pm

RiNiK wrote:I think that many blender users want to do still images... so why have to do it in other software?

I agree completely - I would love it if blender had raytracing. I do still images all the time, at 2000x2000 pixels and more and would _love_ raytracing. I don't like my work split over 2-3 applications, as it is now.

Zarf · Post by **Zarf** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:25 am

IoN_PuLse wrote:Just to let you know a lot of people who do strickly realism rendering don't use ray-tracing.

Oh and Lightflow is awesome.

Amazingly enough a lot of people doing so-called photorealistic renderings DO use raytracing in addition to those who use renderers based on other principles.

I suppose the implication here is that raytracing would be unnessecary cruft if added to blender.

Anyway, who in the world said anything about 'photo-realism' to begin with? For example Shrek was far from being photo-realistic (actually that depends on your definition, ask Bill Fleming, he's got an interesting one...) and was rendered using a proprietary raytracer that PDI developed specifically for the production. Raytracing is Good Stuff (TM).

(incidentally check out www.realstorm.com for a realtime software raytracing game engine thingymabob, heck If I can get it to run on my system though).

Thanks for descending from upon high to 'enlighten' us though. The unwashed masses appreciate your efforts I assure you.

Zarf

RiNiK · Post by **RiNiK** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 1:19 pm

Maybe if start whit very simple raytrace engine it would be easy to import Blender. Then start to add features in it

Pablosbrain · Post by **Pablosbrain** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 3:30 pm

I am one of those that would love to have real raytracing as well as real caustics as well as.... you name it... and I am using blender for animation purposes. Having native support for external renderers in my opinion is the best coarse of action and I am excited to see greens script get integrated into the CVS. Especially if green can get all the texture information from within blender out to the renderer with no extra coding required by the user (that is his plan i believe). Not that I don't mind having to tweak settings here and there.. its just easier. And on top of that... there are many developments in free renderfarm software that work with many of the external renderers available.

MrMunkily · Post by **MrMunkily** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 4:29 pm

We need a hybrid scanline/raytracer like almost eery other pro raytracer is. All free rytracers are tremendously slow, but they don't need to be. different parts of the scene can be renderered with different renderers.

Would it be pssible to replace the renderer or would that be insane (code structure won't allow it)?

Pablosbrain · Post by **Pablosbrain** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 4:44 pm

Trying to integrate another renderer directly into Blender would take a lot more time and effort.. especially with green already having a python script that outputs most of what is needed for good renderer support.. integrating that should be much easier and faster.

RiNiK · Post by **RiNiK** » Tue Dec 10, 2002 8:31 am

But I think that the renderer is better in Blender than outside it... Think example how about all the light's and textures. Do you get it right with external renderer? I don't think so.

I don't say that rendering whit external renderer is bad. I just think that importing raytrace in Blender is wise in longer timeline.

AND I still think that many Blender users would love internal Raytrace.

green · Post by **green** » Tue Dec 10, 2002 12:53 pm

Pablosbrain wrote:Trying to integrate another renderer directly into Blender would take a lot more time and effort.. especially with green already having a python script that outputs most of what is needed for good renderer support.. integrating that should be much easier and faster.

Actually. The renderman support I am writing into the blender source is close to having all the features of BlenderMan right now.