Raytracer - UofT CS Project

A raytracer originally from the University of Toronto Computer Graphics course, re-implemented in Rust with support for custom scene configuration through JSON files.

About

This project is a Rust implementation of a raytracer from the Computer Graphics course at the University of Toronto (taught by Alec Jacobson). Rather than following the original course implementation language, I chose to rebuild it in Rust to explore systems programming and learn Rust’s ownership model while working with graphics algorithms.

The raytracer emphasizes flexibility through JSON-based scene configuration, allowing users to define complex scenes with multiple geometric primitives and render them programmatically.

Features

• JSON Scene Configuration - Define scenes with custom camera positions, lights, and objects
• Geometric Primitives - Support for spheres, planes, and triangles
• Scene Composition - Build complex scenes from simple geometric elements
• Custom Rendering - Configure render parameters through JSON
• Educational Foundation - Based on structured CS curriculum

Technologies Used

• Rust - Memory-safe systems programming with zero-cost abstractions
• JSON - Declarative scene description format
• Ray Tracing - Classic computer graphics rendering technique
• Geometric Algorithms - Intersection tests and shading computations

Example Scenes

The repository includes multiple example scenes demonstrating different geometric configurations:

• Sphere packing arrangements
• Plane and sphere combinations
• Creative geometric compositions