this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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Looking for: random raytracing program (awful.systems)
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Years ago (we're talking decades) I ran into a small program that randomly generated raytraced images (think transparent orbs, lens flares, reflection etc), suitable for saving as wallpapers. It was a C/C++ program that ran on Linux. I've long since lost the name and the source code, and I wonder if there's anything like that out there now?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (2 children)

POV-Ray, perhaps? You give it a scene description text file and it will render a raytraced image of the scene for you. You'd need to find or write an appropriate scene description though for what you want to randomize.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've wasted so much time writing scenes for that thing and rendering them on my mighty 486...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Still got any fun renders from back then?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Nope, it's all gone to the great bit bucket in the sky...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

No, I wish I did, but they disappeared many computers ago.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Thanks for the suggestion, but that's not the one.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

https://www.rayrender.net/ ?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Looks interesting, but that's also not what I'm looking for. Thanks though!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I also thought it would be povray as this is what I was using on linux over two decades ago. Maybe this list could help you:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ray_tracing_software

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Could it perhaps have been Bryce 3D?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

No, this was (from memory) a console application only. You specified output size, maybe a couple seed values, and the process after that was random.