What’s the Difference Between Ray Tracing and Rasterization?

Ray tracing is the technique modern movies rely on to generate or enhance special effects. Think realistic reflections, refractions and shadows. Getting these right makes starfighters in sci-fi epics scream. It makes fast cars look furious. It makes the fire, smoke and explosions of war films look real. Ray tracing produces images that can be indistinguishable from those captured by a camera. Live-action movies blend computer-generated effects and images captured in the real world seamlessly, while animated feature films cloak digitally generated scenes in light and shadow as expressive as anything shot by a cameraman.