An easy-to-use ray-tracer written from scratch in C++

In plain words

This is a ray-tracing application built from the ground up in C++. It's designed for people interested in computer graphics and rendering who want to understand or experiment with ray-tracing techniques. The project is available on GitHub, making it accessible to developers and graphics enthusiasts who want to explore the underlying code and implementation details of ray-tracing algorithms.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

• 
  Super-Sunshine – A ray-tracer written from scratch in C++2017 · github.com · ▲6

  A ray-tracer with a simple scene description language for easily generating beautiful images. - diegomacario/Super-Sunshine

• 
  I wrote a C++ ray tracer from scratch without AIJun 2026 · github.com · ▲155

  C++ Path Tracer from scratch with zero third-party libraries. - themartiano/luz

• 
  Monte Carlo ray tracer in Rust2020 · github.com · ▲168

  Monte Carlo ray tracer developed using Rust. Contribute to Dalamar42/rayt development by creating an account on GitHub.

• 
  a Rust ray tracer that runs on any GPU – even in the browserNov 2025 · github.com · ▲95

  I’ve been experimenting with Rust lately and wanted a project that would help me explore some of its lower-level and performance-oriented features. Inspired by Sebastian Lague’s videos, I decided to implement my own ray tracer from scratch. The initial goal was just to render a simple 3D scene in the browser at a reasonable frame rate. It evolved into a small renderer that can: • Run locally or on the web using wgpu and WebAssembly • Perform mesh rendering with a Bounding Volume Hierarchy (BVH) for acceleration • Simulate both direct and indirect illumination for photorealistic results • Be…

• 
  A physically-based GPU ray tracer written in JuliaFeb 2026 · makie.org · ▲198

  We ported pbrt-v4 to Julia and built it into a Makie backend. Any Makie plot can now be rendered with physically-based path tracing. Julia compiles user-defined physics directly into GPU kernels, so anyone can extend the ray tracer with new materials and media - a black hole with gravitational lensing is ~200 lines of Julia. Runs on AMD, NVIDIA, and CPU via KernelAbstractions.jl, with Metal coming soon. Demo scenes: github.com/SimonDanisch/RayDemo

• 
  I've made a Monte-Carlo raytracer for glTF scenes in WebGPU2024 · github.com · ▲131

  This is a GPU "software" raytracer (i.e. using manual ray-scene intersections and not RTX) written using the WebGPU API that renders glTF scenes. It supports many materials, textures, material & normal mapping, and heavily relies on multiple importance sampling to speed up convergence.

• 
  SimCity, but with Permits▲933

  A free city-building game in your browser. You are the mayor. You know what the city needs. Now get it past the zoning board, the neighbors, the appeals court and the next election.

  Life & fun · 3d ago · permit.petercai.com

• IV
  I've been paying for a rural Tanzanian's education for 10 years▲778

  Life & fun · 15d ago · tanzaniaeducationproject.org

• 
  Bigwords.page – Turn any screen into a sign. The URL is the app▲728

  Turn a phone, tablet or TV into a sign. Type a message and it fills the screen: welcome signs, timers, Wi-Fi passwords and more. No app, no account, free.

  Life & fun · 16d ago · bigwords.page

• 
  Guitoro, a virtual guitar you strum with your keyboard▲573

  Play a free virtual guitar online with your keyboard or by touch. Slow songs down and see every chord, string and strum. Acoustic, classic, electric and bass.

  Life & fun · 10d ago · guitoro.com

• 
  See *almost* any carriers phone settings▲432

  Carrier settings from iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy firmware, decoded and compared: APNs, VoLTE, 5G and Wi-Fi Calling per carrier, and what each build changed.

  Life & fun · 14d ago · carrierexplode.com

• 
  The whole Solar System and every tracked satellite, live in the browser▲407

  Life & fun · 24d ago · space.bl2.net

• 
  Airmash – Multiplayer Missile Warfare HTML5 Game▲1,535

  Free multiplayer dogfights in your browser, the official reboot of the 2017 hit. Five aircraft, five game modes, no download.

  Life & fun · 2017 · airma.sh

• 
  Nomad List 3.0▲1,252

  Find the best place to ❤️ live, 👩‍💻 work, and 💃 play

  Life & fun · 2017 · nomads.com

• 
  Design Principles▲920

  An open source repository of design principles and methods

  Work · 2017 · principles.design

• 
  unDraw▲896

  MIT licensed illustrations for your next project

  Dev tools · 2017 · evie.undraw.co

• 
  Descript▲869

  Text-based audio editor and automated transcription

  Work · 2017 · descript.com

• 
  Magic Leap One▲803

  Super stealthy AR startup reveals its first product

  Life & fun · 2017 · magicleap.com