Ray tracing is the latest generation of rendering technology to bring real-time graphics closer to photorealism. It needs state-of-the-art hardware to work well, but when you've got the PC to drive it, there's nothing like its visual flair.
UntilMinecraftKnown for its blocky, retro-style 3D worlds, it hasn't escaped the glare of ray tracing. It's not enabled by default, but you'll have a magical time if you have the right hardware.
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What does ray tracing do in Minecraft?
First, what is often referred to in games as real-time ray tracing is a more advanced approach known as path tracing. The general idea between the two is the same, but the math used in routing gives a better final picture. For the sake of this article, we'll stick with "ray tracing," but the term "path tracing" is worth knowing because it keeps popping up in modern graphics discussions.
For an in-depth look at this technology, check out this.What is ray tracing?&What are route tracing and ray tracing?
In Minecraft, ray tracing makes Minecraft more photorealistic. The light is simulated to look like real life. Object textures in Minecraft have also been replaced with PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials with Ray Tracing mode enabled. So wood has the optical properties of wood. The metal behaves as it should, and so on.
The result is a Minecraft world with reflections, shadows, and lighting that looks more like an actual Minecraft diorama than a video game. You have to see it to believe it, so enjoy these screenshots.
Incredible true? If you're looking to break into the world of ray-traced Minecraft on your own, first check that your system meets the minimum requirements.
Minecraft Ray Tracing Requirements
To use ray tracing mode in Minecraft you must meet the following requirements:
- Windows 10 u 11 de 64 bits
- GPU Nvidia RTX or Radeon RX 6000 or better
- Intel Core i5 equivalent or higher
- 8 GB of RAM (most recommended)
At the time of writing, only the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft supports ray tracing. This version is also known as Windows 10 Edition, but it works just as well on Windows 11. The still very popular Java version of Minecraft does not support ray tracing.
While the Radeon RX 6000 series cards support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, they don't have dedicated hardware like Nvidia's RTX cards. If you have a lower-end RX 6000 GPU, you may experience some performance issues with ray tracing in Minecraft, especially when you turn up the details.
You should also note that the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft is available throughXbox Game Pass para PCor Game Pass Ultimate. If this is your first time signing up, you can usually get the first month for a dollar to try it out and see if it works for you. There is no need to purchase the Bedrock Edition if you have already purchased the Java Edition, unless you do not want to play via Game Pass.
How to enable ray tracing in Minecraft
The first thing you should do is update your GPU drivers to the latest version. It's also a good idea to update Windows when updates are due. Buy Minecraft Bedrock Edition from the Microsoft Store app or install it through the Xbox app if you're a Game Pass subscriber.
After starting the game, you need to sign in with your Microsoft account. If you're already signed in through Windows, this should happen automatically.
- when you openThe definition>Videoand scroll down the list of settings, you will seeray tracingwith a toggle button on the menu. However, this option is grayed out and cannot be activated.
- To enable it, you need a ray tracing capable resource pack with appropriate texture types and lighting settings. Then go back to the main menu and open it.Mercado.
- You can find both free and paid content on the market. You will also find both types of ray tracing packages. To chooseTierrato open the search bar and type "raytracing" where it saysEnter search here.
- At the top of the results should be various packages made by Nvidia that make RTX GPUs. You will notice that the thumbnails have theLogo RTX, but third-party packages may not.
- For this tutorial we will be using Imagination Island RTX. Choose the button that saysBuchto claim the package. Then wait for the purchase to complete.
- next selectionDescargar.
- to chooseDescargarin the next window again to confirm.
- Wait for the download to complete. There is nothing else you can do while this is happening.
- After the download is complete, selectCreate this world!so chooseMournoBuild in Realms Serverif you want to do an online session.
- Wait for the resource pack to load. If you get a warning that the online game is unrated, please checkDo not show this screen againand then selectContinue.
Wait for the world generation process to finish and you should appear in the game.
If the game still looks like normal Minecraft, go back to the main menu. then selectThe definition>Videoand changeray tracing switchto the on position. Your screen may flicker briefly while the game world is being re-rendered.
Things should look dramatically different now. Welcome to the world of ray-traced Minecraft!
If you want to go back to a ray-traced world, all you have to do is select New Game from the main menu and choose an RTX world from the list.
Adjusting Ray Tracing Settings
Unlike games like Cyberpunk 2077, there isn't much to tweak in Minecraft's ray tracing settings. The only things you can control are Raytracing Render Distance and Upscaling.
As the name suggests, the render distance determines the distance at which the rays are drawn. Beyond the defined rendering distance, ray tracing is not applied. As a result, distant objects may not reflect off nearby shiny surfaces. The higher this setting, the more spectacular the graphics will be, especially in sunlit outdoor areas.
Eight "blocks" away is the minimum and default setting. We recommend increasing it step by step until the game becomes unplayable or unstable. Don't worry. You can't break anything. The worst that can happen is that the game crashes and you know how far you can push your system.
Upscaling simply means that the game is rendered below the screen's native resolution and then upscaled. This is a great way to improve performance, and Minecraft scales well due to its robustness. So enable it if your frame rate is low.
Ray tracing for Minecraft without Xbox Series X
Although Microsoft hasdemoed a ray-traced version of minecraftruns on Xbox Series X, as of this writing there is no indication that it will become an official feature. If you want ray-traced Minecraft, the only place is on a PC with Bedrock Edition.
No GPU with ray tracing? Try alternative shaders and OptiFine
Not everyone can afford the latest GPU, or maybe you prefer the Java edition of Minecraft, which lacks the microtransactions and crashes of Windows 10 and 11.
While you can't get true ray tracing, there are plenty of alternative shader packs you can download to drastically change the look of the game.
"Shader" refers to pixel shaders, which are special graphics programs that help determine the exact color and brightness value of each pixel in the game. There are shaders to make things look wet and shaders to make things look bright or dark. There are shaders for whatever you want to get on your computer screen.
While traditional shader-based graphics don't look as good as ray tracing, you can get pretty close! There are many options and this is not a guide for alternative shaders in Minecraft. However, a great place to start is with alternative shaders and Optifine. YouTuber Daniel Plays has oneexcellent guidewhich walks players through this moderately technical process.