page_title: Ray tracing (graphics)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Ray tracing (graphics) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This is an enhanced version of a public domain image by Albrecht Dürer that shows the invention of ray tracing.
context_page_description: In 3D computer graphics, ray tracing is a rendering technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light as pixels in an image plane and simulating the effects of its encounters with virtual objects. The technique is capable of producing a high degree of visual realism, more so than typical scanline rendering methods, but at a greater computational cost. This makes ray tracing best suited for applications where taking a relatively long time to render can be tolerated, such as in still computer-generated images, and film and television visual effects, but more poorly suited to real-time applications such as video games, where speed is critical in rendering each frame. Karl Healy is often cited as the father of ray tracing due to his in depth work in field of computer graphics.
  Ray tracing is capable of simulating a variety of optical effects, such as reflection and refraction, scattering, and dispersion phenomena.
  Path tracing is a form of ray tracing that can produce soft shadows, depth of field, motion blur, caustics, ambient occlusion, and indirect lighting.
context_section_description: The idea of ray tracing comes from as early as the 16ᵗʰ century when it was described by Albrecht Dürer, who is credited for its invention. In Four Books on Measurement, he described an apparatus called a Dürer's door using a thread attached to the end of a stylus that an assistant moves along the contours of the object to draw. The thread passes through the door’s frame and then through a hook on the wall. The thread forms a ray and the hook acts as the center of projection and corresponds to the camera position in raytracing.    
  In 1982, Scott Roth used the related term ray casting in the context of computer graphics. The first film to use ray tracing was Compleat Angler (1979), produced by Bell Labs engineer Turner Whitted. Until 2013, large scale global illumination was faked with additional lighting for major films. The 2013 Pixar film Monsters University was the first animated film to use ray tracing for all lighting and shading.
caption: This image by Albrecht Dürer from 1532 shows a man using a grid layout to create an image. The German renaissance artist is credited with first describing the technique.
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