Selected File: POV-Ray Ray-Tracing Software
by Persistence of Vision
available versions:
POV-Ray v3.60 free
The Persistence of Vision Ray-Tracer (POV-Ray) creates three-dimensional, photo-realistic images using a rendering technique called ray-tracing. It reads a text file containing information describing the objects and lighting in a scene and generates an image of that scene from the view point of a camera also described in the text file. POV-Ray produces very high quality images with realistic reflections, shading, perspective and other effects. Features include: an easy to use scene description language, large library of example files, multiple camera types, spotlights, cylindrical lights and area lights for sophisticated lighting, phong and specular highlighting, inter-diffuse reflection (radiosity), atmospheric effects, particle media to model effects like clouds, dust, fire and steam, basic and advanced shape primitives, Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG)... the list goes on and on.