Ray Tracing Coherence Data for Faster Intersection Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ray tracing techniques are computationally inefficient, leading to high latency and degraded user experiences in real-time computer graphics applications.
Innovation Solution
Leveraging ray trace temporal and spatial coherence data to reduce the search space for determining intersected object components by utilizing previous ray tracing operations, such as intersected object components, neighboring object components, and acceleration structure nodes, thereby reducing computational overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ray tracing techniques are used, then rendering quality and optical effect simulation are improved, but computational cost and latency increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-computing and storing coherence data (intersected object components, neighboring object components, and acceleration structure nodes) from previous ray tracing operations. This preliminary computation allows the current ray tracing operation to skip redundant searches and directly utilize pre-computed information, thereby reducing real-time computational cost while maintaining rendering quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of relevant information from previous ray tracing operations (such as intersected object components and acceleration structure nodes) and reuses these copies in current operations. By copying and reusing this coherence data, the system avoids recomputing the same information, thus reducing computational cost while preserving rendering accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If full acceleration structure traversal is performed for each ray, then rendering accuracy is maintained, but computational overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary coherence data (intersected object components, neighboring object components, and acceleration structure nodes) from the full acceleration structure traversal of previous operations. By taking out only the relevant information needed for current ray tracing, the system avoids the time-consuming process of traversing the entire acceleration structure again while maintaining sufficient accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing only the necessary portion of the acceleration structure traversal based on coherence data from previous operations. Instead of fully traversing the entire acceleration structure for each ray, the system uses partial information (coherence data) to make informed decisions about which parts of the scene need to be explored, thereby reducing processing time while maintaining adequate rendering accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A ray trace operation includes tracing a ray from an origin point in accordance with a ray path into a virtual environment (where the virtual environment comprises one or more virtual objects defined by one or more object components) and determining an intersected object component of the one or more object components that the ray intersects with. Determining the intersected object component comprises accessing (i) ray trace temporal coherence data based upon a preceding ray trace operation that temporally precedes the ray trace operation or (ii) ray trace spatial coherence data based upon a spatially proximate ray trace operation.