Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Pixar

Ralf Habel

Wojciech Jarosz

Peter Kutz

Brent Burley

Jan Novak

Marios Papas

Gregory Nichols

David M Adler

Steve Marschner

Yining Karl Li

David Koerner

Johannes Meng

Carsten Dachsbacher

According to one implementation, a system for rendering a volume includes a computing platform having a hardware processor, and a system memory storing a volume rendering software code. The hardware processor is configured to execute the volume rendering software code to receive data characterizing a volume to be rendered and to decompose the volume into a first volume portion and a second volume portion. The hardware processor is further configured to execute the volume rendering software code to perform a first tracking of a light ray in the first volume portion to determine a first interaction distance of the light ray in the first volume portion, perform a second tracking of the light ray in the second volume portion to determine a second interaction distance of the light ray in the second volume portion, and render the volume based on the shorter of the first and second interaction distances.

Computationally efficient volume rendering in computer-generated graphics

There is provided a scene rendering system and method for use by such a system to perform depth buffering for subsequent scene rendering. The system includes a memory storing a depth determination software including a reduced depth set identification software module, and a hardware processor configured to execute the depth determination software. The hardware processor is configured to execute the depth determination software to determine, before rendering a scene, a depth buffer based on at least one fixed depth identified for each element of a rendering framework for the scene. The hardware processor is further configured to render the scene using the depth buffer.

Depth buffering for subsequent scene rendering

According to one exemplary implementation, a method for use by a global illumination system including a hardware processor includes identifying, using the hardware processor, a first interior vertex of multiple first interior vertices of a light path, the first interior vertices being situated within a volume having a refractive boundary. In addition, the method includes determining, using the hardware processor, a surface vertex of the light path at the refractive boundary, and determining, using the hardware processor, a linear direction from the surface vertex to a light source of the light path. The method also includes determining, using the hardware processor, one or more second interior vertices for completing the light path by constructing a path from the surface vertex to the first interior vertex, based on the linear direction, the surface vertex and the first interior vertex.

Ray tracing across refractive boundaries

The disclosure provides an approach for rendering granular media. According to one aspect of the disclosure, granular media are rendered using bidirectional point scattering distribution functions (BPSDFs). The dimensionality of BPSDFs may be reduced by making certain assumptions, such as random orientations of grains, thereby simplifying light transport for computational efficiency. To generate a BPSDF from a grain, light transport may be precomputed using a Monte Carlo simulation in which photons are shot onto the grain from all directions. The precomputed BPSDF may be used, during rendering, for describing the interactions within grains. When a light ray traced during rendering intersects proxy geometry which replaces grain geometry, the BPSDF may be evaluated to determine light transport. By repeating this process for many light rays in a Monte Carlo simulation, the light propagation through the granular medium may be determined.

Bidirectional point distribution functions for rendering granular media

An efficient numerical method for accurately rendering translucent materials using photon beam diffusion is provided that can account for multilayer materials and directional incident and exitant effects at the surface. In an embodiment, refracted incident light is represented continuously as a photon beam instead of as discrete photons. An integration scheme for calculating a radiant exitance value at a point on the surface of the translucent material is disclosed that uses importance sampling and evaluates a radiant function at a limited number of points along the beam.

Photon beam diffusion

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Toluca Lake, CA, United States of America

Ralf Habel