Ray Tracing Tips

A. Reflections – The Biggest Visual Difference

• Without Ray Tracing: When you look at a skyscraper’s window, you cannot see the building opposite to it (or you see a static, fake texture).
• With Ray Tracing: You can see the cars on the street, people walking, and the buildings behind you reflected clearly in the skyscraper’s glass, just like a mirror.

B. Shadows

• Without Ray Tracing: Shadows are either razor-sharp or look artificial.
• With Ray Tracing: A building’s shadow is sharp at its base and gradually softens as the building gets taller (Contact Hardening)—just like in real life.

C. Global Illumination (Indirect Lighting)
When sunlight hits a red wall, the light bouncing off that wall tints the ground slightly red. Ray Tracing calculates this light bounce. This is what saves the city from looking like “artificial playdough” and gives it a “photorealistic” appearance.