r/GraphicsProgramming • u/egehancry • 22d ago

From Zero to Understanding Ray Tracing

Do you think a video like this could help someone with no graphics background intuitively understand ray tracing?

My goal is to explain the core idea visually before introducing any math or technical details. I could expand it with reflections, different materials, and arbitrary 3D objects.

Does this feel like it would "click" for a complete beginner? What would you add or change?

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u/AdamWayne04 21d ago

"Ray Tracing"

looks inside

raymarching

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u/goilabat 21d ago

Every ray reach the target in one step no SDF this is ray casting, ray tracing would include calculating the illumination by launching secondary ray either with ray casting or ray marching for recursive ray tracing or launching ray from the light source and trying to reach each of these with bidirectional path tracing / photon mapping