Tracing bitmaps

hmm...

Raytracing is not a 2D filter. It''s a 3D rendering technique. You need a 3D model and you render it using a raytracing package (PovRay, VRay, Mental Ray, Renderman, etc). The result of that process can then be used as 2D tiles. You can''t simply convert a 2D drawn image to a raytraced one (would be a bit too easy, if that worked ).

If you want raytraced graphics, you''ll first need to learn 3D modelling. I suggest Blender (freeware) or Milkshape (shareware) to start with. Be warned though: that is definitely no easy task, good 3D artists need years of training.

/ Yann

Is there anything else I can do to make my bitmaps look more "streamlined" and nicer? Maybe the technique those 2D games use to make their graphics look nice *isn''t* ray-tracing, maybe it''s something else, does anyone know?

I don''t know if this is useful to you, but since you''re looking for a quick and easy route...

Have a look at Kreed''s 2xSAI (Advanced 2X Scale and Interpolation) Engine. It comes with some source code and utilities (the link for that''s near the bottom of the page I think). You can plug in your bitmaps and it will spit out slightly nicer versions (depending on your artwork). It''s worth a shot for hand-drawn graphics. It''s used in quite a lot of emulators to improve the low-res graphics.

Thanks alimonster, but there are two problems:

1. The link you gave me doesn''t work
2. Will this work with DirectX, or is it a stand-alone program that I can use independently of my code?

I have been 3D modelling for several years with little to no training, and have come up with some pretty impressive results. If you are looking for a quick (well, faster than going to a 4 year college for 3D modelling) way to get some raytraced graphics, the best software to use is SPatch and POVRAY. You can download povray for free at www.povray.org, but I have had trouble finding SPatch online anymore. It is also a free program, and you will want another similar program called hamapatch for texturing and lighting, but SPatch works the best. If you can''t find any of these programs online, you can e-mail me and I''ll send them to you. My address is CharlieMC86@hotmail.com

Ellipse, do the programs you mentioned work with 2D bitmaps? I don''t want to mess around with any 3D stuff for a 2D game.

I found a download for the 2xSAI library, but it didn''t have the pre-built library files, and I couldn''t build them on my machine (I use MSVC++ 6.0). Can someone tell me where I can find a copy of 2xSAI with the library and binaries included, or could someone who already has it on their machine email it to me? I would really appreciate it.