Skip to content

devlog.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
194 lines (140 loc) · 5 KB

devlog.md

File metadata and controls

194 lines (140 loc) · 5 KB
Raw

AuraRay Devlog

Milestone 1: First Windowless Render

Built

  • Created a minimal C++ application that writes renders/first_image.ppm.
  • Added a lightweight Makefile for local builds.
  • Initialized the project structure and .gitignore.

Challenges

  • Used a Makefile instead of CMake for the initial setup.
  • Kept the renderer dependency-free by writing directly to the PPM format.

Next

  • Implement camera rays and render the first sphere.

Milestone 2: First Sphere With Camera Rays

Built

  • Implemented vec3, ray, camera, and sphere intersection.
  • Added normal-based shading.
  • Generated first_sphere.ppm and PNG export.
  • Updated the build scripts and README.

Next

  • Add anti-aliasing.

Milestone 3: Anti-Aliased Rendering

Built

  • Added configurable multi-sample anti-aliasing.
  • Implemented jittered ray sampling with a fixed random seed.
  • Generated anti-aliased PPM and PNG outputs.

Challenges

  • Used deterministic sampling to keep render outputs reproducible.

Next

  • Add materials and recursive ray tracing.

Milestone 4: Minimal Ray Tracer

Built

  • Added Lambertian and metal materials.
  • Implemented recursive ray scattering.
  • Added a ground sphere and multiple scene objects.
  • Created minimal_raytracer render output.

Challenges

  • Limited recursion depth to keep rendering stable.

Next

  • Build reusable scene presets.

Milestone 5: Scene Presets

Built

  • Added three predefined scenes:
    • glass_orbs
    • xr_lens_demo
    • warm_studio_spheres
  • Added PNG exports and JSON metadata.
  • Recorded render settings and timing information.

Next

  • Implement simulated foveated rendering.

Milestone 6: Simulated Foveated Rendering

Built

  • Added Full Quality, Low Quality, and Gaze-Aware rendering modes.
  • Implemented sample allocation based on a simulated gaze position.
  • Added overlay visualization and render metadata.
  • Generated comparison images for all render modes.

Challenges

  • Balanced image quality while keeping the sampling logic simple.

Next

  • Visualize the renderer inside Unity.

Milestone 7: Unity Viewer

Built

  • Created a Unity project for viewing renderer outputs.
  • Displayed rendered images alongside render metadata.
  • Added controls for switching between rendering modes.
  • Implemented gaze overlay visualization.

Challenges

  • Organized Unity assets while excluding generated project files.

Next

  • Replace the static viewer with an interactive simulator.

Milestone 8: Interactive Foveation Simulator

Built

  • Replaced the image viewer with an interactive Unity scene.
  • Added a movable gaze target controlled by keyboard or mouse.
  • Implemented live foveation visualization.
  • Added four visualization modes:
    • Full Quality
    • Low Quality
    • Gaze-Aware
    • Overlay
  • Added a runtime statistics panel.

Design Decision

The Unity project evolved from a static viewer into an interactive simulator while keeping the C++ renderer as the offline reference implementation.

Next

  • Package the simulator for reuse.

Milestone 9: Unity Package

Built

  • Converted the simulator into an embedded Unity package.
  • Split runtime and editor assemblies.
  • Added an importable sample scene.
  • Documented installation and package usage.

Challenges

  • Preserved Unity GUIDs while reorganizing package assets.

Next

  • Improve component configurability.

Milestone 10: Reusable Components

Built

  • Added Inspector-friendly configuration for all runtime components.
  • Exposed gaze radius, sample counts, overlay settings, and movement controls.
  • Added runtime validation and improved API documentation.

Next

  • Verify installation in a clean Unity project.

Milestone 11: Package Verification

Built

  • Tested package installation in a clean Unity project.
  • Verified sample import through the Unity Package Manager.
  • Confirmed runtime components, scene loading, and package dependencies.

Next

  • Improve native build portability.

Milestone 12: CMake Support

Built

  • Added a root CMakeLists.txt.
  • Added Makefile helpers for configure, build, and run.
  • Updated ignore rules and documentation.

Next

  • Prepare the first public release.

Milestone 13: Release Preparation

Built

  • Reorganized the README.
  • Added CHANGELOG.md.
  • Added architecture documentation.
  • Completed Unity package metadata.

Next

  • Capture release media.

Milestone 14: Demo Media

Built

  • Added automated Unity capture tooling.
  • Generated release screenshots.
  • Created an animated simulator GIF.
  • Generated a labeled comparison image from renderer outputs.
  • Documented the media generation workflow.

Challenges

  • Built the media pipeline using native macOS tools without external image-processing dependencies.

Next

  • Finalize the v0.1.0 release.

Miscellaneous Improvements

PNG Export

Built

  • Added make png and make export commands.
  • Automated PPM to PNG conversion for renderer outputs.

Next

  • Continue improving renderer features while keeping export workflows lightweight.