Speeding up my Ray Tracer using JAX
19 hours ago
- #JAX
- #ray-tracing
- #performance
- The author implemented a ray tracer in Rust but found it too slow, so they rewrote it in JAX for better performance.
- Ray tracing is well-suited for JAX due to its parallel nature, mathematical operations, and compatibility with JAX's functional programming constraints.
- The implementation includes basic ray tracing, sphere intersections, camera setup, and color rendering.
- JAX's functional programming paradigm requires handling rays and intersections differently than in Rust, using arrays and pure functions.
- The tutorial covers multiple parts: basic rendering, multiple objects, diffuse materials, positionable cameras, defocus blur, anti-aliasing, and advanced materials like metal and glass.
- JAX's vectorization and JIT compilation enable efficient rendering of complex scenes with millions of rays processed in parallel.
- The final result is an iconic ray-traced image with multiple spheres, demonstrating the power of JAX for high-performance ray tracing.