Primitive Testing for Ray Intersection at Multiple Precisions

Organization Name

Inventor(s)

Casper R. W. Van Benthem of Abbots Langley (GB)

Primitive Testing for Ray Intersection at Multiple Precisions - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18651195 titled 'Primitive Testing for Ray Intersection at Multiple Precisions

Simplified Explanation: The patent application describes techniques for testing whether a ray intersects a graphics primitive, such as for ray tracing. The system uses reduced-precision conservative intersection tests followed by original-precision tests if a hit is indicated.

Intersection circuitry performs reduced-precision tests
Shader circuitry performs original-precision tests if necessary
Quantization of ray and primitive data for intersection testing
Improved performance and reduced power consumption by minimizing unnecessary original-precision tests

Key Features and Innovation:

Combination of reduced-precision and original-precision intersection tests
Quantization of ray and primitive data for efficient testing
Reduction of unnecessary original-precision tests for improved performance and power efficiency

Potential Applications:

Computer graphics rendering
Virtual reality applications
Gaming industry for realistic graphics

Problems Solved:

Efficient intersection testing for ray tracing
Minimization of unnecessary original-precision tests
Improved performance and power efficiency in graphics processing

Benefits:

Faster rendering of complex graphics
Reduced power consumption in graphics processing
Enhanced realism in virtual environments

Commercial Applications: The technology could be utilized in industries such as gaming, virtual reality, and computer-aided design for more efficient and realistic graphics rendering, leading to improved user experiences and cost savings for businesses.

Prior Art: Readers interested in exploring prior art related to this technology may want to investigate existing patents in the field of computer graphics, ray tracing, and graphics processing.

Frequently Updated Research: Researchers in the field of computer graphics and rendering may be conducting studies on optimizing intersection testing algorithms for improved performance and efficiency.

Questions about Ray Tracing: 1. How does reduced-precision intersection testing improve performance in ray tracing? 2. What are the potential drawbacks of using quantization in intersection testing algorithms?

Original Abstract Submitted

Techniques are disclosed relating to testing whether a ray intersects a graphics primitive, e.g., for ray tracing. In some embodiments, intersection circuitry performs a reduced-precision conservative intersection test and shader circuitry performs an original-precision intersection test if the intersection circuitry indicates a hit. The intersection circuitry may quantize the ray (and may quantize the primitive or may receive a quantized representation of the primitive). The intersection circuitry then determines an intersection result for the reduced-precision test based on the quantized primitive data and quantized ray data. In various embodiments, disclosed techniques may improve performance or reduce power consumption by reducing the number of original-precision intersection tests that do not result in hits.