Indirect Illumination Rendering Beyond Screen Space

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing global illumination technologies in computer graphics struggle with incomplete and inaccurate indirect illumination data, leading to suboptimal rendering accuracy in virtual scenes.

Innovation Solution

An illumination rendering method that determines rays hitting and missing pixels in a screen space, obtaining indirect illumination data from elements within and outside the screen space using illumination buffer libraries, and performing rendering based on both direct and indirect illumination data to enhance accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If only screen space pixels are used for indirect illumination calculation, then the calculation process is simple, but the illumination accuracy is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination accuracyVSAvoidcalculation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extends the illumination calculation from 2D screen space pixels to 3D world space elements by introducing screen elements with depth information. This dimensional expansion allows rays to trace and capture indirect illumination from elements outside the current screen space, significantly improving illumination accuracy while maintaining manageable computational complexity through structured data organization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If indirect illumination data from elements outside screen space is incorporated, then the comprehensiveness of illumination rendering is improved, but the data processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of illumination dataVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces screen elements as intermediary objects that bridge screen space pixels and world space elements. These screen elements contain both 2D pixel coordinates and 3D world space positions, serving as mediators to organize and manage illumination data from both inside and outside screen space, thereby reducing data processing complexity while improving data completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the illumination calculation into two distinct parts: first indirect illumination data from pixels within screen space, and second indirect illumination data from elements outside screen space. This segmentation allows each part to be processed independently and then combined, making the overall complex data processing task more manageable and efficient.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If rays missing all pixels are traced to elements outside screen space, then the realism of virtual scene is enhanced, but the computational cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverealism of renderingVSAvoidcomputational power
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by selectively tracing rays that miss all pixels to elements outside screen space, rather than performing exhaustive tracing for all rays. This selective approach captures sufficient indirect illumination information to enhance rendering realism while avoiding the excessive computational cost of complete exhaustive tracing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4670808A1Lighting rendering method and apparatus, and terminal and storage medium
Publication Date: 2025.12.31 TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO LTD
  • EP4670808A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4670808A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4670808A1 patent drawingFigure 5~8

AI summary

An lighting rendering method and apparatus, a terminal, and a storage medium are provided, and belong to the field of computer technologies. The method includes: obtaining light data of a plurality of lighting probes in a scene (201); determining, based on the light data and from the plurality of rays, a first ray reaching a pixel in a current screen space in the scene, a second ray missing all pixels in the current screen space in the scene, and first indirect illumination data which is indirect illumination data of the pixel reached by the first ray (202); obtaining a screen element reached by the second ray in the current screen space and a screen element reached by the second ray outside the current screen space, and obtaining second indirect illumination data from an illumination buffer library of the screen element, the second indirect illumination data being indirect illumination data of the screen element (203); and performing lighting rendering on the scene based on the first indirect illumination data and the second indirect illumination data (204). The method improves accuracy of illumination rendering.