# ssloy/tinyraytracer

A brief computer graphics / rendering course

Repository: https://github.com/ssloy/tinyraytracer
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/tinyraytracer
Homepage: https://github.com/ssloy/tinyraytracer/wiki
Language: C++
License Family: other
Topics: c-plus-plus, graphics, software-renderer, shaders, rendering, learning, fun, images, computer-graphics, rendering-engine, tutorial, 3d, 3d-graphics, cpp, raytracer, raytracing, raytracing-engine
Last push: 2023-07-07T05:37:37+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2782, "days_push": 1153, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5357, forks 350 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:15.985469+00:00)

## What it is
A computer graphics course companion that teaches ray tracing by building a renderer in 256 lines of bare C++ with no third-party libraries. It includes a wiki with step-by-step lecture material and is intended for learning, not production rendering.

## Use cases
- learn how ray tracing works from scratch
- understand the math behind 3d rendering
- build a minimal raytracer in c++
- study computer graphics without third-party libraries
- follow a hands-on graphics rendering course
- see how shaders and rendering engines work under the hood

## When to choose
- you want to learn ray tracing fundamentals with minimal, readable code
- you prefer tutorials that avoid third-party libraries to reveal internals
- you are a student or self-learner in computer graphics

## When to avoid
- you need a production-grade, physically realistic rendering engine
- you want GPU-accelerated or feature-rich ray tracing
- you need a maintained library with a license for commercial use

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: maintenance
- function: graphics, simulation
- domain: computer-vision, graphics, education, tutorials
- platform: cpp, cross-platform, cli
- tags: raytracing, raytracer, computer-graphics, software-renderer, tutorial, 3d-graphics, shaders, educational

## Member repositories
- ssloy/tinyraytracer (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:15.985469+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:58:46.767650+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ssloy/tinyraytracer (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:15.985469+00:00, sha 3135180fe8fc)
  - homepage: https://github.com/ssloy/tinyraytracer/wiki (fetched 2026-08-29T08:53:02.828120+00:00, sha c9c7f445d5f5)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.