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Ray TracingOne of my interests is Ray Tracing. The two programs I use are Pov Ray and Opticks. Pov ray is a well known freeware program that exists on all major platforms. Its strength is that there is no GUI. It is entirely script-based. This allows a fantastic level of control as well as the potential for automation: consider writing a program that outputs a text file containing a valid pov-ray scene, which can then be run through povray. I've got a few utilities that do this and I will post them here once the site is futher along in its construction. Pov ray is based on an older program called DKB render, which was originally written on the Amiga and then ported to PC-DOS machines. Opticks is a very old Workbench 1.3 era commercial raytracing package that is very good for certain visual effects. It has a retro styled quirky but effective user interface. I am concerned that this will not run on the new workbench 3.5 but until then, it is a nice program. Very much underrated and unapreciated for lack of some so called "modern" effects. It lacks the sophistication of current renders but still has a certain quirky charm. Page and all contents copyright ©1998-2005 by Peter C. Capasso except as otherwise noted.
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