Ray tracers
GroIMP contains two built-in ray tracers, which can utilize a set of different ray processors. The ray tracers can be used for both light modeling and rendering. To use the renderer, select it as your Render View:
When starting any of these renderers, your Scene will be rendered as an image using the current camera viewpoint. In case it takes too long, you can interrupt the process with stop. In some cases, this might not work and GroIMP dies, so be sure to save your project before experimenting with the renderers. When you moove the camera after the renderer has finished, the 3D View switches back to the default “interactive” OpenGL renderer.
GPUFlux
GroIMP provides a GPU-based ray tracer based on a Monte-Carlo method. It utilizes available computing resources through OpenCL. During simulation, each object keeps track of the amount of light it absorbs. Per object, it either computes a fully discretized absorption spectrum or several integrated weighted spectra, which are subsequently used in a photosynthesis model.
GPUFlux implements on GPU three well known, physically based rendering algorithms: Path Tracing (PT), BiDirectional Path Tracing (BDPT) and Energy Redistribution Path Tracing (ERPT).
External renderer
External renders can be used to create a 3D view of higher quality. The POV-Ray Plugin provides a scene export to the POV-Ray format which makes it possible to use the free ray-tracer POV-Ray as an external renderer, see the POV-Ray manual. The resulting image is directly shown in GroIMP's 3D view.