<p>Discontinuities in rock mass could directly impact its strength, deformation, and fracture patterns. Researching the distribution and orientation of discontinuities in jointed rock mass is an essential aspect of rock engineering. In practical situations, the key requirements are convenience, accuracy and speed. This study proposes a rapid method for identifying and analyzing smooth joint traces, based on the Hough transform (HT) detection method. The orientation information of joint traces can be automatically identified and analyzed based on edge detection of images of rock mass. The research findings demonstrate the practicality of the proposed technique in HT detecting left-inclined, right-inclined, and intersecting straight lines. The extraction of the joint traces from both the in-situ case and the discrete fracture network model was analyzed and compared. The orientation and dip angle of the joint traces were identified accurately. By analyzing the sensitivity of the identification parameter k, the practicality of the proposed method in identifying joint traces was assessed. The efficacy of the algorithm can be validated based on the output generated by the algorithm, which is indicative of its capacity for image recognition. The HT detection method proposed has the potential to serve as a novel technique for obtaining information concerning of joint traces of the rock mass.</p>