This project provides a simple visualization of the effects of special relativity. Currently, length contraction, time dilation, and light travel time are all accounted for. In the future, other possible features may include:
- Textures and the Doppler effect for light
- Automatic subdivision of geometry to allow for straight edges to be transformed more accurately
- Clocks and geometry that internally changes over time
To run the software, OpenGL 4.30 must be supported.
The project can be built using CMake. The following libraries are required:
- OpenGL
- GLFW
- entityx
The simulation can be controlled by using the mouse to move the camera, the W and S keys to move the camera forward and backward, the A and D keys to strafe the camera left and right, and the left Shift and Control keys to move the camera vertically.
The history (position vs time) of every object in the scene is stored. Then, each frame, the entire history is transformed using a Lorentz boost into the frame of the player. The intersection of a null cone (centered on the player) with the history of the object is calculated. The intersection point is then rendered to the screen using OpenGL, resulting in a visual representation of the object as it would be seen by the observer.
