WhittedRayTracing

Whitted Ray Tracing is a recursive ray tracing algorithm developed by Turner Whitted in 1980. It is an extension of the basic ray tracing technique used in computer graphics to simulate the behavior of light in a scene. The algorithm introduces the concept of recursive ray tracing, which allows for the simulation of reflections and refractions, resulting in more realistic and visually accurate images.

In traditional ray tracing, a ray is cast from the camera through each pixel into the scene. The algorithm then determines the intersection of this ray with objects in the scene and calculates the color of the pixel based on the properties of the intersected object and the light sources in the scene. Whitted Ray Tracing extends this process by recursively casting additional rays for each intersection point.

For reflections, a new ray is cast in the direction of the reflected light, and the color contribution from this reflected ray is added to the pixel's color. For refractions, a new ray is cast in the direction of the refracted light, and the color contribution from this refracted ray is added to the pixel's color. This recursive process continues until a maximum recursion depth is reached or the ray does not intersect any more objects.

Whitted Ray Tracing significantly improves the realism of rendered images by accurately simulating the behavior of light, including reflections and refractions. However, it also increases the computational complexity and time required for rendering, as multiple rays need to be traced for each pixel. Despite this, Whitted Ray Tracing has been a foundational technique in the development of more advanced ray tracing algorithms and remains an important tool in the field of computer graphics.