Dense Geometry Format for Compact Mesh Storage and Direct Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for compressing geometry data in ray tracing and rasterization applications are inefficient, leading to redundant data storage, high computational costs, and limitations in content authoring flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The Dense Geometry Format (DGF) encodes geometrical primitives using a signed fixed-point grid, allowing for efficient storage and processing of vertex data, mesh connectivity, and geometry identifiers in fixed-size data blocks, which can be directly consumed by processing circuitry for ray traversal or rasterization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional geometry compression methods are used, then memory usage is reduced, but rendering performance deteriorates due to complex pre-processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by organizing geometry data into a sorted vertex buffer format during asset creation, where vertices are pre-sorted by position and duplicates are pre-eliminated. This pre-processing establishes a foundation that enables both efficient compression and rapid rendering without requiring complex pre-processing during runtime, thus resolving the contradiction between memory efficiency and rendering performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by using sorted vertex buffers with duplicate elimination instead of traditional mesh formats. This parameter transformation allows the geometry data to be stored in a compact form that reduces memory usage while simultaneously enabling fast traversal and rendering, as the sorted structure allows for efficient spatial queries and ray tracing operations.
2Ease of operation
If redundant vertex data copies are stored for each graphics primitive, then ease of operation is improved, but memory usage increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates duplicate vertex data from the geometry buffer. By identifying and removing redundant vertex copies while maintaining the necessary vertex information for each primitive through indexing, the system reduces memory usage significantly while preserving ease of operation, as the vertex data remains accessible through the optimized buffer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying efficiently by creating an indexed reference system where vertex data is stored once in the sorted vertex buffer, and multiple primitives reference the same vertex indices. This approach eliminates the need to store redundant vertex copies for each primitive while maintaining the ability to access vertex data efficiently, thus reducing memory usage without compromising operational ease.
3Device complexity
If fixed mesh topology is generated, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates due to limited flexibility in content authoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by using a sorted vertex buffer format that can adapt to different geometry types and content authoring needs. The buffer structure dynamically accommodates various mesh topologies and geometry configurations without requiring fixed mesh topology, allowing content creators to work with diverse asset types while maintaining simplified device complexity through a unified data organization approach.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods described herein for storing primitive data for ray tracing and/or rasterization. The data is encoded efficiently into arrays of fixed-size data blocks using a data format which can be directly consumed for ray traversal or rasterization. Vertex data in a block is pre-quantized and stored using a fixed-bit quantization grid. Mesh connectivity is encoded using a triangle strips based on control values representing triangle interconnectivity, and a compressed index buffer storing indices for vertices in each strip. Further, triangle identifiers are derived from the triangle's position in the strip. The block can further store geometry identifiers and opacity maps corresponding to primitive data.