Precomputed Mesh Topology for Lower-Cost Real-Time Ray Tracing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ray tracing techniques for real-time computer graphics applications face high computational burdens due to the need to represent all virtual object components in acceleration structures, even those unlikely to be intersected by rays, leading to unnecessary complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing precomputed topologies to group object components into triangle fans or strips, and determining their representation in acceleration structures as leaf or intermediate nodes based on traversal likelihood metrics, such as distance and temporal data, to optimize computational cost and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all virtual object components are represented in acceleration structures, then ray tracing completeness is improved, but device complexity and computational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments virtual objects into multiple components and introduces a traversal likelihood metric to categorize them into high-likelihood and low-likelihood groups. Acceleration structures are selectively built only for high-likelihood components, while low-likelihood components are excluded. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining ray tracing completeness for important objects while reducing overall acceleration structure complexity and computational cost.
2Reliability
If all virtual object components are represented in acceleration structures, then ray tracing completeness is improved, but computational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides virtual object components based on traversal likelihood metrics and selectively constructs acceleration structures only for high-likelihood components. This segmentation reduces the number of objects requiring expensive acceleration structure construction and ray testing, thereby lowering computational cost while preserving ray tracing completeness for the most important components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by constructing acceleration structures for only a subset of virtual object components (those with high traversal likelihood) rather than all components. This partial construction approach reduces computational cost significantly while maintaining sufficient ray tracing completeness for the application's needs, as low-likelihood components contribute minimally to the final image.
3Use of energy by moving object
If precomputed topologies are used to group object components, then computational cost of building acceleration structures is reduced, but memory usage may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple virtual object components into grouped representations based on precomputed topologies and traversal likelihood metrics. By combining components into unified acceleration structure nodes, the patent reduces the total number of nodes required, which decreases both computational cost of building structures and memory usage for storing them, while maintaining complete ray tracing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is configurable to access a precomputed topology associated with a mesh that comprises a plurality of object components. The precomputed topology defines a plurality of object component groups that each comprise a respective set of object components of the mesh. The system is configurable to determine a traversal likelihood metric associated with the mesh that indicates a likelihood that rays of a ray trace operation will traverse acceleration structure nodes representing object components of the mesh, and use the plurality of object component groups as inputs to construct an acceleration structure. When the traversal likelihood metric satisfies a threshold, leaf nodes of at least one intermediate node of the acceleration structure each comprise a respective object component of an object component group. When the traversal likelihood metric fails to satisfy the threshold, at least one leaf node of the acceleration structure comprises an object component group.