Ray-tracing is widely used to render photo-realistic images and most digital arts produced today rely heavily on sculpted, geometrical or mathematical forms as the subject of images under an object-camera framework.
Procedural Optics is an on-going project which appropriates ray-tracing into an experimental image making process; the artist replaces the physically accurate ray-optics tracing rules by a set of procedurally defined ray tracing rules which facilitate an experimental image making experience. These rules are subject to iterated modifications according to artistic decision made after examining each unseen computed image. The images produced rely heavily on the artistically defined ray-tracing/computation rules instead of using geometrical forms, shading and perspective as in mainstream digital arts.
The artist intends to work with computation at a more intimate level where the artistically defined procedures, aesthetics and computation couple tightly together to form a unique image making process.
procedural optics 07-02 is a selected rendering from the project.