YafaRay (was YafRay) is a powerful raytracer.
It enables users to create fantastic images and animations of a photorealistic quality.
It is an advanced raytracing rendering system with many modern features including full radiosity and High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) for scene lighting. It reads a simple XML-based scene definition file, and can be used as a renderer for Blender.
Key Features
- Render
- Full Global Illumination – uses global illumination to produce realistically lit renderings of 3D scenes, using Monte carlo-derived approximations.
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- Skydome Illumination – based mainly on light coming from an emitting sky, taking into account the soft shadows calculations also involved.
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- HDRI Illumination.
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- Caustics – uses photon mapping that allows for caustic (light distortion produced by reflection or transmission such as through a burning-glass).
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- Real Depth of Field.
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- Glossy/Blurry reflections.
- Modular framework.
- Integration in 3D suites via plugin.
- Distributed and multi-thread rendering.
Website: github.com/YafaRay/libYafaRay
Support:
Developer: Voluntary contributions made by many individuals on behalf of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
License: Radiance Software License
YafaRay is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Ray Tracing Software | |
|---|---|
| POV-Ray | Full-featured ray tracer |
| Blender | 3D content creation suite with a huge range of uses |
| McXtrace | Monte Carlo Xray Tracing for simulation X-ray beamlines and experiments |
| McStas | Simulator for neutron scattering instruments and experiments |
| BRL-CAD | Combinatorial Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) solid modeling system |
| Embree | High-performance ray tracing library |
| LuxCoreRender | Rendering system for physically correct image synthesis |
| Visionaray | C++ ray tracing template library |
| YafaRay | Montecarlo raytracing engine |
| MantaRay | Advanced renderer using modern rendering techniques |
| Tachyon | Parallel / multiprocessor ray tracing system |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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