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XRT is a raytracing based programmable rendering system for photo-realistic image synthesis built around a plug-in architecture design.


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XRT 1.1.1 released

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 13:31
Tags: downloads gallery luxrays

classroom.jpg

There is nothing really striking in this new release, this is just a collection of bug fixes and improvements that I have brought to XRT while trying to render the classroom scene (for a larger rendering look into the LuxRays gallery) and a bunch of other scenes from Brigham Young University (BYU) CS655 Courseware (gallery here).

Here is a quick summary (for a complete list, see the change log):

  • improved sampling for area lights and distributed specular rays. My previous post explains in detail the ins and outs of proper sample generation.
  • improved ply generator. Depending on a user attribute (int user:plyGenerateNormals), it is now possible to average normals on vertices of a PLY mesh. This is mainly useful to give a rounded appearance to curved objects that have been tesselated (for instance, the chairs in the classroom).
  • deprecated LookAt call. It was not orthogonal with Camera and World calls and I have never able to come up with a clear and concise explanation on how to use it. These are genuine signs of a flawed design. When I finally figured out that, in most cases, I could do the same thing with Python, it was just about time to remove it. The StructureSynth exporter and a few other generators have been overhauled to take this change into account. There is now a tiny script in $(XRT_HOME)/inputs, lookat.py, that takes care of computing the viewing transformation. A nice side effect is that, now, the StructureSynth exporter is compatible with Gelato.

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