!!Con 2018: Ray-tracing and special relativity: Rendering objects near... by Lucy Zhang
Channel: Confreaks
Date: 2018-05-30

Ray-tracing and special relativity: Rendering objects near the speed of light! by Lucy Zhang

According to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, space and time are not absolute, and objects become shorter when moving at larger velocities. So what happens if you take a photo of an object moving at, say, 90% of the speed of light? To answer this question, I’ll start with a normal ray-tracer used to render 2D views of 3D scenes, discuss the consequences of special relativity for moving objects, and then modify the ray-tracer to be consistent with special relativity. Even if you already know about special relativity, the answer might still be surprising.