I was considering whether rendering engines were a form of photography. An ordinary 3D renderer simulates our own visual perception of real, physical space. If photography documents real light and real space, how does the staging of a set with models, props, and light sources expand the definition. Both 3D visual artists and photographers work by manipulating arrangements of color values to form specific representations, the difference is that photographers record physical light, while 3D digital artists don’t need physical light to form their arrangements (despite looking through an illuminated monitor the entire time).
Either way, I found a project by Charles Lohr where he implemented a unique 3D renderer with the ability to simulate non-euclidean space. In euclidean physical space (and most 3D renderers) straight lines remain consistently straight through space and the volume that space occupies has perceivable consistency, not changing in relation to the space around it. In non-euclidean spaces, it’s possible for relatively straight lines to appear inconsistent: lines which are similar or parallel across some areas, may not be parallel across others. The engine made by Charles Lohr allows for volumes of space to be “stretched” to varying dimensions. Examples in this demo include a tunnel that appears longer on the outside that it appears traveling through its center, and houses that appear small from outside, and very large once you enter them. The engine uses ray-tracing to generate images of how these theoretical spaces would look through our eyes.
Non Euclidean GPU Ray Tracing Test
This project broke down some of my subconscious assumptions about 3D rendering. Ordinarily, 3D engines are designed to simulate physical stages as accurately as possible; it’s assumed that artists want to simulate or imitate perspective photography. For example, I never really considered how the perceived straightness of a line is the resulting illusion of how our space is composed, or how these things that seem so universally constant are only the result of specific circumstance. A 3D digital artist is able to directly control every pixel and create fantastical settings, yet it’s rare that this art roams from the low-level consistencies of perspective photography.
