Do Ray-Traced shadows always produce a hard edge?

Do Ray-Traced shadows always produce a hard edge?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Sometimes, depending on light type
• D. Only with area lights

Answer: (A)

Ray-traced shadows determine visibility by shooting rays from the surface toward the light. A point is either fully lit or blocked for each ray, so the boundary where light stops and shadow begins is a precise geometric edge. There isn’t a gradual penumbra in the default ray-trace calculation unless you specifically configure the system to treat the light as having an area or to sample multiple rays across a light’s surface. In standard ray-traced shadow mode, the transition is sharp, producing a hard edge regardless of the light type.

Ray-traced shadows determine visibility by shooting rays from the surface toward the light. A point is either fully lit or blocked for each ray, so the boundary where light stops and shadow begins is a precise geometric edge. There isn’t a gradual penumbra in the default ray-trace calculation unless you specifically configure the system to treat the light as having an area or to sample multiple rays across a light’s surface. In standard ray-traced shadow mode, the transition is sharp, producing a hard edge regardless of the light type.