Duke Nukem 3D Ray Tracing Mod-2
Mods

First Version of Duke Nukem 3D Path Tracing Mod Released

1 Comment

Modder ‘postmemetic’ has released the first version of his Ray Tracing Mod for the classic Duke Nukem FPS game, Duke Nukem 3D. This mod will let you experience the iconic FPS with ray-traced lighting. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

According to the modder, Duke-RT is a fork of Raze that adds a new ray-tracing render backend based on NVIDIA NRI. It still builds on Raze’s existing support for Build-engine games, but this fork focuses on path tracing, RT renderer bring-up, lighting authoring, custom material creation, denoising and upscaling integration, and backend diagnostics. It also includes tools and overlay workflows that allow users to create their own material and lighting rules for Duke content.

Keep in mind that Duke-RT is still a work in progress. The core renderer is already implemented, with full support for modern graphics APIs and technologies like D3D12, DLSS Super Resolution, and Ray Reconstruction. The modder has also remastered Episode 1 with PBR materials, based on the original assets, along with updated lighting. Episodes 2 and 3, however, are not yet finished. So, if you want the full ray-traced experience across the entire game, you’ll need to wait until those episodes are completed.

In future versions, postmemetic also plans to add volumetrics such as rocket smoke. He will improve water surfaces, and he will implement proper mirror replacements. Plus, we can expect better glass effects.

In future versions, postmemetic also plans to add volumetrics such as rocket smoke. He will improve water surfaces, and he will implement proper mirror replacements. Plus, we can expect better glass effects.

If you want to try the mod, you can go ahead and download it from this link. To run it, you must own Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. Otherwise, the mod will not work.

Ideally, I’d want this Ray Tracing Mod to work with the Voxel Duke Nukem 3D Mod. That mod replaced all sprites with 3D voxels. It’s similar to the voxel mods we saw for Doom 1 and Doom 2. So, I really hope the modders will work together to make them compatible.

Fans of DN3D should also check out Duke Nukem 3D: Savior of Babes. This is another must-have mod for the classic shooter. Then we have Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition. Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition is a gameplay mod that brings some balance changes, remixes a number of things, and makes the game harder.

Then we have Duke Nukem: Horror Castle. Duke Nukem: Horror Castle features 8 levels, 24 new enemies (including a new Boss), and 4 new enemies. Players can also expect shrinkable DN3D mini bosses, so that they can shrink them and stomp them. There are also new health and ammo items, as well as new effects.

Speaking of Path Tracing Mods, I highly recommend trying the following ones. Let’s start with the classic Unreal Gold. That game impressed everyone when it came out in 1998, so it’s really cool to see it with Path Tracing. Half-Life fans can also play the game with Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing. Need for Speed: Carbon has also received the path-tracing treatment. Finally, you can download the truly incredible Path Tracing Mods for Doom, Doom 2, Quake, and Serious Sam.

Have fun!

Duke-RT - Duke Nukem 3D with path-tracing