They have developed an Excel sheet that allows to run a simulation of the RayTracing technology introduced by NVIDIA.
During Gamescom we saw a lot of games with RayTracing thanks to NVIDIA graphics. This technology is gaining importance in the video game industry and will even reach Minecraft. What RayTracing offers us is the tracing of light rays in real time, improving the experience of the game. But there are those who are not satisfied with that and someone has taken it to Excel.
Word and Excel are possibly the two best tools out there today. The quintessential spreadsheet is used for countless things, including creating art. There are those who are dedicated to creating impressive paintings only with this tool. Now a user has implemented RayTracing technology within this tool.
Create a RayTracing simulation within Excel
The user s0lly has uploaded to Reddit as he has entered the RayTracing within an Excel sheet. "Using my pseudo and 'real' 3D Excel models, I have made a RayTracing model in Excel that I hope will demonstrate the fundamentals of RayTracing for any of you who are interested in learning." He has also uploaded the spreadsheet to GitHub.
We have on GitHub a Readme and the document 'file.xlsb'. To make it work we just have to follow a few simple steps. We have to go to the 'Objects' tab within the document and select row 24. Once there we must copy (ctrl + c) and then we must select from row 25 to 14 405. After selecting them all, we must paste (ctrl + v) the object.
We must emphasize that this is something that generates an extremely heavy load for the team. The computer must process all the cells in Excel and this can take from 30 seconds to several minutes, according to our team.
Finally we must go to the 'Screen' tab and there click on 'Animate' so that it is animated automatically or 'Play' to be able to control the movement using the 'WASD' keys. Without a doubt it is something quite curious as it has been possible to add a RayTracing simulation in an Excel sheet.
Source: PCG