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YafRay

The old lense and its body (Nikon FE), by Bert Buchholz. Modelled in Blender.

YafRay (Yet Another Free Raytracer) is a free, open source ray tracing program that uses an XML scene description language. It is integrated into 3D modelling software such as Blender and Wings3D as a plug-in, and so can be used to render scenes made within then. Thanks to Mathias Wein, AKA Lynx3D, YafRay core is being completely renewed, because the old structure just reached its limit after years of evolutional changes.

It is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL).

Features

Rendering

Full Global Illumination

YafRay makes it possible to illuminate scenes by means of a complete global illumination system, using Montecarlo and Quasi-montecarlo approximations. To solve the illumination problems that arise when inside interior spaces, we can rely on a photon mapping system, that together with irradiance cache and shadow refinement, produces high quality results.

Skydome Illumination

This illumination system, also known as Ambient Occlusion, is based mainly on light coming from an emitting sky, taking into account the soft shadows calculations also involved. The illumination can be obtained from a High Dynamic Range Image.

Caustics

YafRay uses photon mapping that allows for caustics (light distortion produced by reflection or transmission such as through a burning-glass). For simulating translucent materials there is also a subsurface scattering shader under development.

Depth of field

The effects of a focus depth of field can be reproduced using this feature. With a point in the scene fixed, further objects will be out of focus.

Blurry reflections

If a surface is not a perfect reflector, distortion arises in the reflected light. This distortion will grow bigger as the reflecting object is taken further away. YafRay can simulate this phenomenon.

Architecture

Modular framework

YafRay features a modular structure, with a kernel the rest of the render elements connect with: scene loader, lights and shaders. This together with an Application Programming Interface |API], allows development of rendering plug-ins, for using YafRay from any program or 3D suite. Supported suites include Blender, Wings3D and Aztec.

Cross-platform

YafRay has been fully developed using C++. This makes for good portability and there are precompiled binaries for the most common platforms: GNU/Linux, Windows 9x/XP/2000, Mac OS X and Irix. YafRay can be used as a stand-alone render engine, using its own scene description format. This way it can be used from the command line directly, by a script, etc. There are also provisions for parallel computing or distributed computing rendering.

External links

• Official website

• This page was last modified 20:10, 3 October 2006.
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