Developer S0lly has shared a demo of a ray-tracing model running in Excel.
Developer S0lly has shared a demo of a ray-tracing model running in Excel. The project is based on the book “The Ray Tracer Challenge” by Jamis Buck.
Yes, the project was done in Excel, using only formulae “with the only use of macros made for the inputting of key commands and to run the animated camera.” “The video is sped up somewhat over what is achievable in the model (in particular, the final segment is obviously sped up by a lot),” noted the developer. “Don’t forget, this is Excel! However, on my fairly old PC, it updates once every 2 seconds, so isn’t too bad.”
There is a file an excel file on GitHub that will allow you to gain an intuitive understanding of how raytracing works in the basic setting of an excel workbook. Again, it is all based on the book “The Ray Tracer Challenge” by Jamis Buck which teaches the foundations of Raytracing in a fun and engaging way.
The developer has also previously released demos of a pseudo and “real” 3d engine. You can learn more about his projects here.