Nvidia Corporation

Leland Stanford Junior University

Craig E Kolb

Samuli Matias Laine

Timo Oskari Aila

Tero Tapani Karras

John Matthew Burgess

William P Newhall, Jr

Gregory Muthler

Ignacio Llamas

Ronald Charles Babich, Jr

David Patrick Luebke

Marco Salvi

Matthew Milton Pharr

Alessandro Dal Corso

Patrick M Hanrahan

Cass Watson Everitt

Eric Hugh Veach

William R Mark

Rev Lebaredian

Larry I Gritz

Donald P Mitchell

Methods and systems are described in some examples for changing the traversal of an acceleration data structure in a highly dynamic query-specific manner, with each query specifying test parameters, a test opcode and a mapping of test results to actions. In an example ray tracing implementation, traversal of a bounding volume hierarchy by a ray is performed with the default behavior of the traversal being changed in accordance with results of a test performed using the test opcode and test parameters specified in the ray data structure and another test parameter specified in a node of the bounding volume hierarchy. In an example implementation a traversal coprocessor is configured to perform the traversal of the bounding volume hierarchy.

Query-specific behavioral modification of tree traversal

A method, computer readable medium, and system are disclosed for performing stable ray tracing. The method includes the steps of identifying a plurality of old hit points used in a previously rendered frame, re-projecting the plurality of old hit points within a current frame to create a plurality of samples within a screen space of the current frame, adjusting the plurality of samples within the screen space of the current frame, based on one or more criteria, for each of the plurality of samples, tracing a ray from the sample toward a corresponding old hit point for the sample to determine a current hit point corresponding to the sample for the current frame, where the current hit point may include the corresponding old hit point for the sample or an updated hit point for the sample, shading at least a portion of the plurality of current hit points to obtain a color for each of the plurality of samples within the screen space of the current frame, and reconstructing a final color for a plurality of pixels in the screen space of the current frame, utilizing the color for each of the plurality of samples within the screen space of the current frame.

Stable ray tracing

A graphics processing subsystem is programmed with shader programs that make calls to an abstract interface. One or more subshaders implementing the functions of the abstract interface can also be defined. The binding of interfaces to functions is resolved by a language runtime module that compiles the subshaders. As shader programs are compiled, the runtime module determines whether each method call is associated with an interface function. For each interface method call, the runtime module determines the appropriate implementation of the interface to be bound to the method call. Once the appropriate implementation is identified, the interface binding is created using string substitution or indirect addressing instructions. At the time of compilation, which may be during the execution of the rendering application, the desired combinations of subshaders are specified and compiled into a combined shader program, which can then be executed by the graphics processing subsystem.

Subshader mechanism for programming language

This invention relates generally to the art of computer graphics, and more specifically to the field of line sampling object scene information for the purpose of reconstructing an image of the object scene. In particular, the inventions distributes a set of line samples across an image plane such that the distribution of the set of line samples is non-regular. Additionally, the invention projects objects from an object scene onto an image plane and computes a view of the objects along each line sample in the set of line samples. Finally, the invention combines the view along each line sample in the set of line samples to form a view of the object scene.

System and method of line sampling object scene information

A physical camera is modeled to render an image in a computer graphics system. When given the manufacturer's specifications of the physical camera's lenses, including the dimensions and indices of refraction of its lenses, stops, and shutter characteristics, the location of the film surface relative to the lens system, and the orientation of the camera within the scene, the invention accurately and efficiently mimics the physical principles of image formation creating an image which approximates an image produced by the physical camera. The procedure comprises four main elements: (1) the geometric relationships between the lens system, object, and film plane are modeled by precise placement and movement of lens elements, (2) image geometry is computed by using principles of geometric optics, (3) an exit pupil is calculated in order to define a region for efficiently sampling rays, (4) the image irradiance, or exposure at a pixel, is computed according to radiometric principles.

Camera simulation system

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Craig E Kolb