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Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!srhqla!avatar!kory
From: kory@avatar.avatar.com (Kory Hamzeh)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,comp.graphics.visualization
Subject: Any interest in a parallel raytracer?
Keywords: Parallel Raytracers
Message-ID: <105@avatar.avatar.com>
Date: 27 Nov 90 05:38:41 GMT
Organization: Kory Hamzeh, Canoga Park, Ca, USA
Lines: 51



I wrote a parallel raytracer (named 'prt') a while back with the following 
features:

	- Runs on multiple heterogeneous machines networked together
	  using TCP/IP.
	- Crude load balancing.
	- Primitives:
		- Polygons
		- Spheres
		- Hallow Sphere
		- Cones
		- Cylinders
		- A object that can be expressed in a quadratic form
		- Rings
	- Shading:
		- Gourard
		- Phong
		- Whitted
	- Rendering:
		- Simple: one ray per pixel
		- Stochastic sampling (jitter)
	- Instances of objects.
	- Input format:
		- An extention of nff. I have written a filter which
		  will convert NFF files to prt format.
	- Output format:
		- MTV format (24 bit).

Note that prt is a parallel raytracer which spawns off children over
multiple machines to distribute the work. I have only used it on five
Sun Sparcstations and have gotten excellent performance. I'm not aware
of any other public domain parallel raytracers other than VM_pRay 
(which, I believe, runs only on a specific platform).

Since there are so many public domain raytracers currently available,
I wanted to see if there was any interest in prt before I send it
to comp.sources.unix.

So, if you are interested in getting your hands on prt, please let me
know. If I get enough positive responses, I will post it in c.s.u.

Thanks,
--kory


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