Conclusion

When I started this project, I assumed it would be easy. It turned out to be very difficult and lasted way too long from the moment I initally posted on BlenderArtists and the moment I finished writing this article. We found a lot of weird stuff, so don’t hesitate checking out our discussion to see it.

I ended up coding a simulator of refraction in Python in only a few hours, which is much better to visualize this phenomenon, but cannot give a realistic render.

This was still an interesting experience. Most people see lasers as a weapon or a tool for cutting stuff, so there is a lack of tutorials and documentation about their refraction. Although I am not knowledgable enough to explain why render engines behave the way they do, I hope that this article could give you ideas for your own projects.