How do distance fields get generated and how do they differ from the actual geometry?

Sailor_Neptun
Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:24:31 +0000
Debugging, Optimization, & Profiling

I would like to discuss why lumen (in software ray tracing) traces reflections against mesh distance fields instead of using the actual geometry.
Are mesh distance fields different from polygon geometry? If so, how do they differ and how do they get generated?
I am wondering about this because with Lumen (software ray tracing) you can clearly see the distance field meshes in the reflections. Would it not look better to trace against the actual geometry if you are already using lowpoly geometry?

3 posts - 2 participants