Caustic

Updated: 11/26/2018 by Computer Hope
Photo: Caustic light passed through a surface of water. Credit: fdecomite on flickr, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/).

A caustic is a mathematical curve which defines the way light passes through a curved material surface. In CGI (computer-generated imagery), caustics are calculated as mathematical curves by ray tracers to create photorealistic images of translucent curved surfaces.

For example, the light passing through a wine glass can be defined by a caustic.

Caustics may also be dynamic, for example, to define the rippling effect of light that passes through a surface of water.

3D, Dynamic, Software terms