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Looking for: random raytracing program (awful.systems)
submitted 11 months ago by gerikson@awful.systems to c/notawfultech@awful.systems
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Years ago (we're talking decades) I ran into a small program that randomly generated raytraced images (think transparent orbs, lens flares, reflection etc), suitable for saving as wallpapers. It was a C/C++ program that ran on Linux. I've long since lost the name and the source code, and I wonder if there's anything like that out there now?

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[-] e0qdk@kbin.social 6 points 11 months ago

POV-Ray, perhaps? You give it a scene description text file and it will render a raytraced image of the scene for you. You'd need to find or write an appropriate scene description though for what you want to randomize.

[-] gerikson@awful.systems 4 points 11 months ago

Thanks for the suggestion, but that's not the one.

[-] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

I've wasted so much time writing scenes for that thing and rendering them on my mighty 486...

[-] e0qdk@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago

Still got any fun renders from back then?

[-] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Nope, it's all gone to the great bit bucket in the sky...

[-] gerikson@awful.systems 3 points 11 months ago

No, I wish I did, but they disappeared many computers ago.

this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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