An Improved Spacetime Ray Tracing System for the Visualization of Relativistic Effects

Abstract

Traditional ray tracing methods are based on Newton’s classical mechanics. They cannot reproduce the visual phenomena of high-speed motion. In this paper, we develop an improved spacetime ray tracing system, which provides a framework for the visualization of spacetime relativistic effects. The system consists of three major components. First, a transformation platform is established to process the transformations of spacetime coordinates and velocities between different scene elements. This enables the independent scene modeling at different reference frames. Second, a number of spacetime scene data structures are constructed to encapsulate conventional scene elements such as objects, light sources, and cameras. Third, a medium information stack is designed to record in which medium the tracing ray is traveling. This enables the accurate calculations of light speeds, which are critical in the visualization of relativistic effects. Experiments are performed when synthetic objects, light sources and cameras are moving at high speeds relative to each other. In addition to conventional relativistic effects, we discover in our system a number of novel visual effects such as multiple transmissions, omnidirectional reflection, and delayed appearance of shadows.