Introduction 

This project chronicles my learning journey with ray tracing, from creating static images using this process to implementing it within a Unity project.

What is Ray Tracing? 

Ray tracing is a rendering technique that replicates how light behaves in the real world. It goes beyond direct lighting, as traditional methods do, to calculate the paths of light as it interacts with objects, yielding natural lighting, shadows, reflections, and refractions. The result is near-photorealistic image quality, giving virtual environments an unparalleled depth and realism.

Ray Tracing Project in C++ 

My exploration of ray tracing began with a C++ project, guided by the tutorial in the "Ray Tracing in One Weekend" book (https://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html).This resource guided me step-by-step through the fundamentals, beginning with a simple red sphere on a blue background. 

The process gradually evolved into more complex scenes, ultimately leading to the creation of the final image. This process was vital in understanding how individual elements come together to create a complete and coherent image through ray tracing.

Unity and Ray Tracing 

With the groundwork in place, the next step was to integrate ray tracing into the Unity platform, a powerful tool for game development. Drawing inspiration from Sebastian Lague's project on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz0KTGYJtUk), I crafted my own demo. This demo is a first-person gaming experience that employs the ray tracing method to render the scene in real time, thereby showcasing the impact of light and shadow in a dynamic and playable environment.