Java basic Ray Tracer

This project was done for the Foundations of Computer Graphics class at the University of Vienna.
It receives as parameter the path to the XML file that has to be rendered.

What can it do?

• Be able to read in geometry from the specified XML files using a parser.
• Basic Phong illumination and shading.
• Shadows.
• Parse and raycast triangles (meshes read from obj files).
• Basic reflection and refraction.
• Texture mapping.
• Uses Gradle to build. ​

Output of the XML files

XML File Format

The XML files can contain lights and surfaces. Each surface consists of a material. Besides that, transformations may also exist, but they are not mandatory.

Concrete examples of the XML elements:

Camera

<camera>
    <position x="1.0" y="-2.0E-10" z="-3"/>
    <lookat x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
    <up x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
    <horizontal_fov angle="45"/>
    <resolution horizontal="1920" vertical="1080"/>
    <max_bounces n="100"/>
</camera>

Lights

<lights>
    <ambient_light>
        <color r="0.1" g="0.2" b="0.3"/>
    </ambient_light>
    <point_light>
        <color r="0.1" g="0.2" b="0.3"/>
        <position x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
    </point_light>
    <parallel_light>
        <color r="0.1" g="0.2" b="0.3"/>
        <direction x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
    </parallel_light>
    <spot_light>
        <color r="0.1" g="0.2" b="0.3"/>
        <position x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
        <direction x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
        <falloff alpha1="1" alpha2="3"/>
    </spot_light>
</lights>

Surfaces

<surfaces>
        <sphere radius="123">
        <position x="1" y="2" z="3"/>
        <material_solid>
            <color r="0.1" g="0.2" b="0.3"/>
            <phong ka="1.0" kd="1.0" ks="1.0" exponent="1"/>
            <reflectance r="1.0"/>
            <transmittance t="1.0"/>
            <refraction iof="1.0"/>
        </material_solid>
        <transform>
            <translate x="1" y="1" z="1"/>
            <scale x="1" y="1" z="1"/>
            <rotateX theta="1"/>
            <rotateY theta="1"/>
            <rotateZ theta="1"/>
        </transform>
    </sphere>
    <mesh name="duck.dae">
        <material_textured>
            <texture name=""/>
            <phong ka="1.0" kd="1.0" ks="1.0" exponent="1"/>
            <reflectance r="1.0"/>
            <transmittance t="1.0"/>
            <refraction iof="1.0"/>
        </material_textured>
        <transform>
            <translate x="1" y="1" z="1"/>
            <scale x="1" y="1" z="1"/>
            <rotateX theta="1"/>
            <rotateY theta="1"/>
            <rotateZ theta="1"/>
            <translate x="1" y="1" z="1"/>
            <scale x="1" y="1" z="1"/>
        </transform>
    </mesh>
</surfaces>

More information available here: Visualization and Data Analysis group

References

• 052200-1 Uni Wien GFX Foundations of Computer Graphics Slides.
• Ray Tracing in One Weekend by Peter Shirley