Show HN: I wrote a C++ ray tracer from scratch without AI

2026-06-15 | original

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Why This Matters

Luz demonstrates that a high-performance, feature-rich path tracer can be built from scratch in C++20 without relying on third-party libraries, showcasing advanced rendering techniques and optimizations. This development highlights the potential for customized, open-source rendering solutions that can be tailored to specific needs in the graphics and visual effects industries. For consumers and developers alike, Luz offers a transparent, extensible tool for realistic rendering, fostering innovation and learning in computer graphics.

Key Takeaways

Supports advanced rendering features like global illumination, atmospheric scattering, and denoising without third-party dependencies.
Includes a complete pipeline from scene creation to benchmarking, emphasizing performance and accuracy.
Open-source and customizable, enabling developers to adapt or extend the renderer for specialized applications.

Luz

Luz is a C++20 Path Tracer developed from scratch with zero third-party dependencies.

It supports Monte Carlo path tracing, global illumination, BVH acceleration, adaptive sampling, denoising, atmospheric scattering, custom scene files, and a Blender-to-Luz exporter.

Features

Monte Carlo path tracing

Global illumination

Multithreaded CPU rendering

Adaptive sampling

Denoiser (NFOR-style)

Spheres, planes, rectangles, triangles, cubes, volumes, and OBJ meshes

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