Goals and Philosophy

Goals

Lux is a physically correct, unbiased rendering engine. This means that Lux does not use tricks to imitate real world behaviour: all calculations are done according to mathematical models based on physical phenomena. Unbiased rendering engines have both advantages and disadvantages - generated images are very realistic but take a long time to produce; physical correctness limits artistic freedom. In Lux we will always make the 'unbiased' design choices.
More than just a toy or an experimental sandbox, we want to create a robust and high-end production renderer, directly usable by artists, with the tools and features they need.

Lux is and will remain free software. This is a matter of freedom: we believe people should be free to use Lux in all ways that are socially useful.
Users are the center of the project: software without a community is an empty seashell. People that are using, testing, reporting bugs, proposing features or even simply commenting results are committing their time doing it. Their participation is essential as it forms the living heart of a project.
An undertaking like Lux is the sum of hundreds of people sharing their knowledge in computer graphics papers, books, websites, university courses etc. Here we are just playing with their ideas not seeking personal fame. Among all these people, Lux started particularly thanks to Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys and their excellent book and project. We are PBRT's child.
We hope Lux will be more than just a piece of software, but also a human adventure in creating positive scientific, artistic and friendship exchanges.