Imagination Technologies Limited

Joseph John Davison

Simon James Fenney

Gregory Clark

A method performed by a graphics processor searches for a candidate reinsertion for each of a plurality of input nodes of a current bounding volume hierarchy (BVH) which would move the input node from an old parent to a new parent, and which would reduce an expected computational cost of searching the BVH for a ray intersection; and performs a first update to update the current BVH with one or more selected reinsertions from among the candidates. The selection comprises a conflict check to determine whether any group of the candidates would affect a same part of the current BVH, and if so selecting only one of the group to include in the first update. At least one of the iterations further comprises, after the first update, performing a second update within the same iteration to update the current BVH with another of said group.

Formation of bounding volume hierarchies

A hierarchical acceleration structure for use in a ray tracing system. When generating a node for the hierarchical acceleration structure, the primitives in a particular portion of the 3D scene may be alternatively bounded by different shaped volumes. These bounding volumes or 'bounding regions' can be Axis Aligned Bounding Boxes (AABBs), although other bounding volumes can be used. The ray tracing system may use sets of two or more bounding volumes in a 3D scene to bound all the primitives within that portion. The choice of how to create sets of multiple bounding volumes within a portion of the 3D scene may be done by using a binary space partition (BSP). Different sets of bounding regions may present different amounts of surface area for a hypothetical ray entering the portion of the 3D scene dependent upon the expected ray direction or angle.

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Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Joseph John Davison