18413286. APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR A HIERARCHICAL BEAM TRACER simplified abstract (Intel Corporation)

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR A HIERARCHICAL BEAM TRACER

Organization Name

Intel Corporation

Inventor(s)

Scott Janus of Loomis CA (US)

Prasoonkumar Surti of Folsom CA (US)

Karthik Vaidyanathan of San Francisco CA (US)

Alexey Supikov of San Jose CA (US)

Gabor Liktor of San Francisco CA (US)

Carsten Benthin of Voelklingen (DE)

Philip Laws of Santa Clara CA (US)

Michael Doyle of Santa Clara CA (US)

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR A HIERARCHICAL BEAM TRACER - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18413286 titled 'APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR A HIERARCHICAL BEAM TRACER

The abstract describes an apparatus and method for a hierarchical beam tracer used in graphics scenes.

• Beam generator creates beam data for a projected beam.
• BVH generator generates BVH data with hierarchically arranged nodes.
• Hierarchical beam-based traversal unit checks for beam intersections with BVH nodes, subdividing beams as needed.
• Intersection hardware logic tests intersections between rays and primitives bounded by leaf nodes.

1. 1. 1. Potential Applications:

This technology can be used in computer graphics, virtual reality, augmented reality, and gaming industries for realistic rendering of scenes.

1. 1. 1. Problems Solved:

The hierarchical beam tracer efficiently determines intersections between beams and scene elements, improving rendering speed and accuracy.

1. 1. 1. Benefits:

- Faster and more accurate rendering of complex scenes - Realistic lighting and shadow effects - Enhanced visual quality in graphics applications

1. 1. 1. Commercial Applications:

The technology can be applied in video game development, architectural visualization, animation production, and virtual simulation industries to improve rendering capabilities and overall user experience.

1. 1. 1. Prior Art:

Researchers can explore existing literature on ray tracing, bounding volume hierarchies, and intersection testing algorithms to understand the background of this technology.

1. 1. 1. Frequently Updated Research:

Stay updated on advancements in ray tracing techniques, GPU acceleration for intersection testing, and optimizations for hierarchical traversal algorithms to enhance the performance of beam tracers.

1. 1. 1. 1. Questions about Hierarchical Beam Tracer:

1. How does the hierarchical beam tracer improve rendering efficiency in graphics scenes?

  - The hierarchical beam tracer optimizes intersection testing by hierarchically organizing scene elements, reducing the number of computations needed for accurate rendering.

2. What are the key components of the hierarchical beam tracer system?

  - The system consists of a beam generator, BVH generator, hierarchical beam-based traversal unit, and intersection hardware logic to efficiently trace beams in graphics scenes.

Original Abstract Submitted

Apparatus and method for a hierarchical beam tracer. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a beam generator to generate beam data associated with a beam projected into a graphics scene; a bounding volume hierarchy (BVH) generator to generate BVH data comprising a plurality of hierarchically arranged BVH nodes; a hierarchical beam-based traversal unit to determine whether the beam intersects a current BVH node and, if so, to responsively subdivide the beam into N child beams to test against the current BVH node and/or to traverse further down the BVH hierarchy to select a new BVH node, wherein the hierarchical beam-based traversal unit is to iteratively subdivide successive intersecting child beams and/or to continue to traverse down the BVH hierarchy until a leaf node is reached with which at least one final child beam is determined to intersect; the hierarchical beam-based traversal unit to generate a plurality of rays within the final child beam; and intersection hardware logic to perform intersection testing for any rays intersecting the leaf node, the intersection testing to determine intersections between the rays intersecting the leaf node and primitives bounded by the leaf node.