Noise is a function that turns a coordinate (like a point in 2D or 3D space) into a smooth, natural-looking value. Unlike pure randomness, noise is coherent: nearby points produce similar results. This makes it perfect for textures, clouds, terrain, marble patterns, fire, water, wood, and almost any organic effect.
Ray tracing is a rendering technique that simulates the path of light as it travels through a scene. Instead of coloring pixels directly, we imagine a “ray” being cast from the camera, through each pixel on the screen, and into the virtual world. Wherever the ray hits an object, we determine what color should appear there based on the material, lighting, shadows, and reflections.
