acdemiralp / astrid

A relativistic ray tracing server and end-user application built on Astray. Archived. See https://github.com/vrgrouprwth/astrid instead.

Astrid

A relativistic ray tracing server and end-user application built on Astray.

Building

• Build Astray. Recommendation: Set -DASTRAY_DEVICE_SYSTEM=CUDA for better local performance.
• Run bootstrap.[bat|sh]. This will install the remaining dependencies and create the project under the ./build directory.
• Run cmake on the ./build directory.
• Point astray_DIR to the build directory of Astray.
• Configure, generate, build.

Installation

• Executables are available for download here.

Quick Tutorial

• Run astrid.exe.
• Click the File menu and select "Connect to Local". This will create and connect to a local Astrid rendering server.
• In the "Integration Parameters" toolbox, choose the "Schwarzschild" metric.
• Click the "Render" button on the bottom left.
• Adjust the parameters and repeat.

Notes

• The screen size has an effect on performance. More the pixels, slower the rendering.
• Interactive rendering is possible even on a local server.
  • Resize the window so that the viewport is approximately 320x240.
  • In the "Observer Parameters" toolbox, untoggle "Look at Origin". This will allow you to rotate using the mouse.
  • Toggle the "Auto Render" on the bottom left.
  • Use the keyboard (WASD) and the mouse to interactively browse the metric.