How are reflections made in games?

The short answer: Modern video games do not do raytracing. The long answer: How does a mirror work? It works by bouncing light. Light comes out of a source, like a light bulb or through a window, it strikes the mirror, and it bounces.

Is ray tracing only for reflections?

There are many ways ray tracing can be implemented in games, from reflections to shadows, lighting (global illumination), ambient occlusion, caustics, and even full scene path tracing. And each type has unique performance requirements.

How is lighting done in games?

Lights in games are typically created by the many different built-in light tools found in the game engine. One of those tools is the ability to bake lights on to the materials in order to save render time. This gives the illusion that light is being cast, but it’s actually just the light baked onto the texture.

When was ray tracing invented in gaming?

The first implementation of an interactive ray tracer was the LINKS-1 Computer Graphics System built in 1982 at Osaka University’s School of Engineering, by professors Ohmura Kouichi, Shirakawa Isao and Kawata Toru with 50 students.

How are reflections rendered?

Accurate reflections can be accomplished e.g. by a ray trace renderer by following a ray from the eye to the mirror and then calculating where it bounces from, and continuing the process until no surface is found, or a non-reflective surface is found.

What is lighting game programming?

Lighting is considered as an important part of 3D game programming. Lighting helps user to bring the realism out and make it as a real time experience. The DirectX system includes built up of various set of types like lightning and types of light sources.

What does a lighting artist do in games?

Basically, ensuring that the game looks as good as it can, but also making sure that the player can see and that the lighting enhances the gameplay and design (For example naturally guiding the player with light).