Raytracer

Overview

This project implements a basic raytracer that reads scene descriptions from XML files and generates images in PPM format. It supports features like:

• Parsing scene configuration (camera, lights, objects) from XML.
• Rendering images using raytracing.
• Experimental GIF animation and motion blur demonstrations.

Main Files

• main.cpp
  Entry point of the program. Handles user input, loads scenes, and triggers image generation.

  • Commands:
    • Enter an XML filename (with or without .xml) to render the scene.
    • Type gif to create an animated GIF.
    • Type motionBlur to apply motion blur.
    • Type exit to quit.

• readXML.cpp
  Responsible for parsing XML scene files using RapidXML. Extracts:

  • Camera settings (position, look-at, FOV, resolution).
  • Lights (ambient, parallel, point, spot).
  • Surfaces (spheres, meshes) and their materials (solid or textured).
  • Background color and output filename.

• Scenes/...
  Contains 8 example scenes defining camera, lights, and objects. Use these as a template for creating custom scenes.

Dependencies

• RapidXML (for XML parsing)
• LodePNG (for texture loading)
• gif-h (for GIF creation)

Ensure these libraries are available in the project directory.

How to Run

1. Compile the project: g++ readXML.cpp main.cpp lodepng/lodepng.cpp -fopenmp -o raytracer.exe
   • Parameter -fopenmp enables parallel processing for faster rendering. Can be omitted if not supported.
2. Run the executable: ./raytracer.exe
   • Enter example6 to render the provided scene.
   • Output will be saved as <output_file>.ppm in the output-subdirectory.