Terminal-Bench 2.1terminalC
Reconstruct a path-traced image algorithmically
Write a compact standalone C renderer that reproduces the supplied PPM image with at least 0.99 normalized L2 similarity without reading it at runtime.
path-tracing
Normalized profile
What this task asks for
Write a compact standalone C renderer that reproduces the supplied PPM image with at least 0.99 normalized L2 similarity without reading it at runtime. Avoid reading image.ppm. Reach at least 0.99 normalized L2 similarity. Remain below 2KB when gzip-compressed. Compile statically with gcc and use no auxiliary source files.
Intent
- feature implementation
- performance optimization
- test and validation
Work surfaces
- renderer
- image output
Technology
- path tracing
- PPM
- GCC
Expected artifacts
- image.c
- reconstructed.ppm
What makes it difficult
- quantitative performance, accuracy, or resource constraints
- native compilation and dependency integration
- specialized algorithmic or domain reasoning
Published evidence
Model × harness outcomes
Counts are tied to these exact configurations. Harnesses are not treated as equivalent across benchmarks.
- Models
- 13
- Configurations
- 20
- Trials
- 100
Showing 20 of 20 configurations
| Model | Harness | Effort | Result | Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| claude-fable-5anthropic · 2026-06-07 | claude-code2.1.167 | xhigh | Mixed3 errors | 2/5 |
| claude-fable-5anthropic · 2026-06-05 | terminus-22.0.0 | high | All passed | 5/5 |
| claude-opus-4-7anthropic · 2026-05-01 | claude-code2.1.123 | max | No passes5 errors | 0/5 |
| claude-opus-4-7anthropic · 2026-05-01 | terminus-22.0.0 | max | Mixed4 errors | 1/5 |
| claude-opus-4-8anthropic · 2026-07-09 | claude-code2.1.205 | high | Mixed3 errors | 2/5 |
| claude-sonnet-5anthropic · 2026-07-09 | claude-code2.1.205 | high | No passes5 errors | 0/5 |
| gemini-3-pro-previewgemini · 2026-05-01 | gemini-cli0.40.0 | high | Mixed | 3/5 |
| gemini-3-pro-previewgemini · 2026-05-01 | terminus-22.0.0 | high | Mixed1 errors | 3/5 |
| gemini-3.1-pro-previewgemini · 2026-05-05 | gemini-cli0.40.0 | high | All passed | 5/5 |
| gemini-3.1-pro-previewgemini · 2026-05-05 | terminus-22.0.0 | high | Mixed3 errors | 2/5 |
| glm-5.1zai · 2026-05-01 | claude-code2.1.123 | max | No passes5 errors | 0/5 |
| gpt-5.5openai · 2026-05-01 | codex0.125.0 | xhigh | All passed | 5/5 |
| gpt-5.5openai · 2026-05-01 | terminus-22.0.0 | xhigh | Mixed1 errors | 4/5 |
| gpt-5.6-lunaopenai · 2026-07-10 | codex0.144.0 | max | All passed | 5/5 |
| gpt-5.6-lunaopenai · 2026-07-11 | codex0.144.1 | max | All passed | 5/5 |
| gpt-5.6-solopenai · 2026-07-10 | codex0.144.0 | max | All passed | 5/5 |
| gpt-5.6-terraopenai · 2026-07-10 | codex0.144.0 | max | Mixed1 errors | 4/5 |
| gpt-5.6-terraopenai · 2026-07-11 | codex0.144.1 | max | All passed | 5/5 |
| grok-4.5cursor · 2026-07-09 | cursor-cli2026.07.08-0c04a8a | default | Mixed3 errors | 2/5 |
| muse-spark-1.1openai · 2026-07-09 | mini-swe-agent2.4.5 | xhigh | All passed | 5/5 |