Overview:

Using a class-provided template, I implemented ray tracing for spheres and triangles to generate rendered images from scene data defined by vertices and RGB values. The project focused on understanding how light interacts with geometry and how shading models are applied in a rendering pipeline.

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Tools and Techniques Used:

• Visual Studio Code

• C++

• OpenGL

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Process:

• Extended the base code to compute ray–triangle and ray–sphere intersections and determine visible surfaces at each pixel.

• Implemented Phong and Gouraud shading in OpenGL Core Profile shaders to simulate surface lighting and material appearance.

• Parsed input files containing triangle vertices, normals, and color values, and incorporated them into the ray tracing pipeline.

• Used C++ to loop through pixels, evaluate ray interactions, and pass shading information to the GPU for rendering.

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Result:

A working ray tracer capable of rendering scenes with smooth shading, accurate surface detection, and basic lighting effects. This project strengthened my understanding of computer graphics fundamentals, shading models, and GPU-CPU interaction within an OpenGL pipeline.