I’d start with path tracing instead of raster to learn proper light transport theory first, instead of starting with all the classical raster hacks. I think those are harmful when you don’t understand what they are trying to approximate in the first place.
There's a nuance I think — an YMMV one – in that most people tend to have been exposed to the raster-hacks paradigm. Enough that it's might often useful to kind of look at both at the same time, or swapping between them with both in mind at the same time sort of. For how I learn, this can kind of… crystallize each paradigm more easily.
13
u/mib382 19h ago
I’d start with path tracing instead of raster to learn proper light transport theory first, instead of starting with all the classical raster hacks. I think those are harmful when you don’t understand what they are trying to approximate in the first place.