What is path trace?
While both techniques aim to create realistic images by simulating light behavior,
path trace extends ray tracing by accounting for complex light interactions
throughout the scene, resulting in higher realism but at the cost of significantly increased computational resources.
Here’s a short comparison for path trace and Ray Tracing:
Feature | Path trace | Ray Tracing |
|---|---|---|
Primary Focus | Simulates multiple light paths | Simulates individual rays |
Illumination Type | Global illumination | Direct illumination |
Calculations | More complex | Simpler |
Performance | Slower, higher resource consumption | Faster, fewer resources needed |
Realism | High realism, photorealistic images | Moderate realism |
Noise | More noise, requires more samples | Less noise |