Dynamically Aligned Structure for Ray Tracing Intersection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ray tracing methods in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are hindered by high computational complexity, time-consuming acceleration structure traversals, and the need for repeated reconstruction of acceleration structures, which contradicts real-time requirements and is not suitable for consumer-level computing devices.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a Dynamically Aligned Structure (DAS) replaces traditional acceleration structures, allowing for collective alignment and projection of secondary rays from hit points, reducing computational complexity and eliminating the need for pre-processing and traversals, thereby enhancing performance and reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional acceleration structures are used for ray tracing, then intersection testing capability is provided, but computational complexity and processing time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The scene is divided into multiple tiles or regions, and rays are processed in segments corresponding to these tiles. This segmentation allows the rendering system to process smaller subsets of rays and geometry simultaneously, reducing the computational complexity of individual traversal operations while maintaining overall rendering throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent processes only the necessary portion of the acceleration structure for each ray batch rather than performing complete traversals. By calculating bounding box intersections first and only processing rays that potentially intersect with geometry, the system performs partial action on the acceleration structure, reducing unnecessary computational overhead.
2Manufacturing precision
If acceleration structures are reconstructed for scene modifications, then rendering accuracy is maintained, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scene is pre-divided into tiles with pre-calculated bounding boxes stored in a data structure. This preliminary organization allows the rendering system to quickly determine which tiles need processing without reconstructing the entire acceleration structure, maintaining rendering accuracy while reducing reconstruction time.
Solution Approach 2:
When scene modifications occur, only the affected local tiles are updated rather than reconstructing the entire acceleration structure. The patent identifies modified regions and performs incremental updates to relevant tile data structures, preserving global rendering accuracy while minimizing the time and computational resources required for updates.
3Productivity
If massive traversals of acceleration structure are performed, then intersection points are found, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial traversals by first testing ray bounding box intersections and only processing rays that potentially intersect with geometry. This two-stage approach reduces the number of full acceleration structure traversals needed, significantly lowering power consumption while maintaining intersection detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Rays are processed in batches corresponding to tile segments, allowing the system to reset and reuse data structures between batches. This segmentation reduces memory access patterns and enables more efficient use of lower-power memory hierarchies, reducing overall power consumption during intersection detection.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes a novel way of generating coherent secondary rays for a global illumination ray tracing. The Acceleration Structures of prior art are replaced by a new and novel device—a Dynamically Aligned Structure (DAS), a means for carrying out the intersection between secondary rays and scene geometry in large groups of rays, gaining high speed and lowering computational complexity.