Years ago (we're talking decades) I ran into a small program that randomly generated raytraced images (think transparent orbs, lens flares, reflection etc), suitable for saving as wallpapers. It was a C/C++ program that ran on Linux. I've long since lost the name and the source code, and I wonder if there's anything like that out there now?
11 Comments
e0qdk@kbin.social · 6 pts · 2y
POV-Ray, perhaps? You give it a scene description text file and it will render a raytraced image of the scene for you. You'd need to find or write an appropriate scene description though for what you want to randomize.
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y
I've wasted so much time writing scenes for that thing and rendering them on my mighty 486...
e0qdk@kbin.social · 3 pts · 2y
Still got any fun renders from back then?
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y
Nope, it's all gone to the great bit bucket in the sky...
gerikson@awful.systems · 3 pts · 2y
No, I wish I did, but they disappeared many computers ago.
gerikson@awful.systems · 4 pts · 2y
Thanks for the suggestion, but that's not the one.
pja@awful.systems · 4 pts · 2y
https://www.rayrender.net/ ?
gerikson@awful.systems · 3 pts · 2y
Looks interesting, but that's also not what I'm looking for. Thanks though!
CryptoKitten@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2y
I also thought it would be povray as this is what I was using on linux over two decades ago. Maybe this list could help you:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ray_tracing_software
Uberflussig@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2y
Could it perhaps have been Bryce 3D?
gerikson@awful.systems · 3 pts · 2y
No, this was (from memory) a console application only. You specified output size, maybe a couple seed values, and the process after that was random.