# Build and run (outputs to stdout, redirect to file)
cargo run --release > output.ppm

# Or build first, then run
cargo build --release
./target/release/rust-...

rust-rasterizer

A rasterizer implementation in Rust

Try it online: Live WebGPU Raytracer

Features

This project includes three different raytracing implementations:

1. CPU Raytracer - Software-based raytracing running on the CPU
2. GPU Raytracer - Hardware-accelerated raytracing using GPU compute shaders (offline rendering)
3. Live GPU Raytracer - Real-time interactive GPU raytracer with camera controls

Usage

CPU Raytracer (Software Rendering)

The CPU version renders scenes using traditional CPU-based raytracing and outputs to a PPM image file.

# Build and run (outputs to stdout, redirect to file)
cargo run --release > output.ppm

# Or build first, then run
cargo build --release
./target/release/rust-rasterizer > output.ppm

Features:

• Full path tracing with multiple bounces
• Direct and indirect lighting
• Mesh support (.obj files)
• Sphere primitives

GPU Raytracer (Offline Rendering)

The GPU version uses compute shaders to accelerate rendering, outputting to a PPM file.

# Build and run
cargo run --bin gpu_raytracer --release > output.ppm

# Or build separately
cargo build --bin gpu_raytracer --release
./target/release/gpu_raytracer > output.ppm

Features:

• GPU-accelerated compute shader rendering
• Same scene quality as CPU version
• Significantly faster rendering times
• Hardware-accelerated ray-triangle intersection

Live GPU Raytracer (Interactive Real-time)

The live version provides a real-time interactive window where you can navigate the scene.

# Run the live raytracer
cargo run --bin live_raytracer --release

Controls:

• Mouse: Click and drag to rotate the camera
• SPACE: Toggle between raytracing and normals visualization modes
• Window Title: Displays current mode and FPS

Features:

• Real-time GPU raytracing

• Interactive camera controls

• Two rendering modes:

• Raytracing: Full path tracing with lighting and shadows

• Normals: Fast visualization showing surface normals (useful for debugging)

• Live FPS counter in window title

Requirements

• Rust (latest stable version)
• For GPU versions: A GPU with compute shader support (Vulkan, Metal, or DirectX 12)

To do:

• Implement Sphere ray tracing
• Implement Light structures and enhance ray_color function for direct and indirect lighting calculations
• Add more shapes (planes, triangles, meshes)
• Optimize performance using GPU acceleration
• Add BVH acceleration structure
• Add texture mapping and material properties
• Implement shadows and reflections
• Create a user interface for scene setup and rendering options
• Write documentation and usage examples