Sample code for raytracer with notes:

#include "colors.inc" gives access to a separate file composed entirely of colors, a shortcut which lets me avoid writing the numbers representing red, green, and blue inputs to each hue
camera { location <0, 12, -1>
look_at 0 }
light_source { <-1, 12, 3>
color White
area_light <5, 0, 0> <0, 0, 5>, 5,5
adaptive 1 jitter } helps during rendering, smoothing and refining

Scene has been set with camera and lights. Now come the objects. Each shape is defined, then its color and finish, then modifications to its position and size:

plane { y, 0
pigment { rgb <0.95, 0.95, 0.95> } rgb = red, green, blue values
normal { dents 1 scale .01 } }

union { cylinder { <-7, 1, 0>, <7, 1, 0>, .15
pigment { rgb <0.94, 0.93, 0.83> }
finish { ambient .25 diffuse .65 brilliance 6 reflection .45 phong 1 phong_size 100 metallic } phong = plastic finish
rotate -90*y
translate -2.75*x move position of object along xyz axes
scale <.85, 1, .65> }

cylinder { <-7, 1, 0>, <7, 1, 0>, .15
pigment { rgb <0.94, 0.93, 0.83> }
finish { ambient .25 diffuse .65 brilliance 6 reflection .45 phong 1 phong_size 100 metallic }
rotate -90*y
translate -2.5*x
scale <.65, 1, .38> }

cylinder { <-7, 1, 0>, <7, 1, 0>, .15
pigment { rgb <0.94, 0.93, 0.83> }
finish { ambient .25 diffuse .65 brilliance 6 reflection .45 phong 1 phong_size 100 metallic }
translate <.35, 0, -.7>
scale <.95, 1, 1> }

cylinder { <-7, 1, 0>, <7, 1, 0>, .15
pigment { rgb <0.94, 0.93, 0.83> }
finish { ambient .25 diffuse .65 brilliance 6 reflection .45 phong 1 phong_size 100 metallic }
translate -1.05*z }

superellipsoid { < .8, .8>
pigment { rgbf <0.578824, 0.439216, 0.856471, 0.8> }
finish { ambient 0.1 diffuse 0.1 reflection .25 specular 1 roughness .001 }
interior { ior 1.5 fade_distance 5 fade_power 1 caustics 2 } interior settings give the appearance of transparency, such as glass, water, diamond.
translate <-2, 1, 2>
scale .75*z }
translate -2.25*x }

This code can be written in any text editor, like Notepad, Textpad, etc, or with the editor that accompanies the raytracing engine.