Ray Tracing

Acoustic ray tracing is a computational method that models sound propagation by tracking individual sound rays as they travel from sources, reflect off surfaces, and arrive at receivers. Each ray carries energy that is reduced at each reflection according to the surface’s absorption coefficient. Ray tracing is effective at frequencies where the wavelength is small compared to surface dimensions (typically above the Schroeder frequency). The method can handle complex geometries including curved surfaces, diffraction around edges, and scattering from rough surfaces. Modern implementations trace millions of rays to build up detailed energy-time histories at receiver positions, from which room acoustic parameters (RT60, C80, STI) are calculated. Ray tracing is one of the two primary methods in commercial room acoustic simulation software (alongside the image source method), and is the core technique in programs like ODEON, CATT-Acoustic, and EASE. It is computationally efficient for large, complex spaces.