Artist: Blue Sky|VIFX

Since its introduction, the computer graphics technology of raytracing-which simulates the way light behaves in a 3D environment-has been constantly evolving. At the Blue Sky|VIFX animation and visual-effects house in Harrison, New York, animators have been testing and refining the refractive and reflective techniques of the company's proprietary rendering software, CGI Studio, for the past decade.

These images represent some of the efforts of those animators. For more pictures, see our November issue.