Ray Bundle Intersection Testing Using Silhouette Edge Vectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ray tracing systems face significant computational challenges in performing intersection tests efficiently, especially when rendering complex 3D scenes in real-time, due to the large number of rays and objects involved, which can lead to high power consumption and increased silicon area.
Innovation Solution
The method involves performing intersection testing on bundles of rays rather than individual rays, using silhouette edges to determine if the rays intersect or miss a box by obtaining and analyzing a vector that provides bounds to the bundle, allowing for reduced calculations and faster latency through AllHit and AnyHit tests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If intersection testing is performed on individual rays, then accuracy is maintained, but computational time and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual ray intersection tests into a single bundle-level intersection test. By grouping rays into bundles and testing the bundle as a whole against acceleration structure nodes, the system reduces the total number of intersection tests performed, thereby decreasing computational time and power consumption while maintaining rendering accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the ray tracing process into bundle-level tests and individual ray tests. Rays are organized into bundles that share common intersection characteristics, allowing the system to perform coarse-grained intersection testing at the bundle level before proceeding to fine-grained individual ray testing only when necessary.
2Reliability
If more intersection tests are performed to handle complex scenes, then rendering accuracy is maintained, but silicon area and computational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual intersection tests into bundle-level tests. By testing bundles of rays simultaneously against acceleration structure nodes, the system reduces the overall computational complexity and the number of tests required, while maintaining rendering accuracy through proper bundle formation and test logic.
3Speed
If individual ray testing is used, then precision is maintained, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sequential intersection tests into parallel bundle-level tests. By organizing rays into bundles and performing intersection testing at the bundle level, the system reduces the total processing time and latency while maintaining the precision required for accurate rendering through careful bundle construction and test execution.
Data Source
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AI summary
Ray tracing systems and computer-implemented methods are described for performing intersection testing on a bundle of rays with respect to a box. Silhouette edges of the box are identified from the perspective of the bundle of rays. For each of the identified silhouette edges, components of a vector providing a bound to the bundle of rays are obtained and it is determined whether the vector passes inside or outside of the silhouette edge. Results of determining, for each of the identified silhouette edges, whether the vector passes inside or outside of the silhouette edge, are used to determine an intersection testing result for the bundle of rays with respect to the box.