Abstract: A method, computer system, and computer program product are provided. A set of classifiers are applied to metric definitions of an electronic contract between computing devices of a service provider and a service consumer. Each classifier includes a selector pattern and a set of variable declarations. Performance data of the service provider computing device are filtered according to the selector pattern of the each classifier. One or more algebraic expressions of the metric definitions are evaluated in accordance with the each classifier and the filtered performance data to determine compliance of the service provider computing device with the electronic contract. Evaluation results indicating whether the service provider computing device is in compliance with the electronic contract are captured and reported.

Abstract: A siding material for a building configured to hold one or more solar panels is disclosed including a siding shell including a first section and/or a second section, wherein each first and/or second section includes an essentially flat face disposed at an angle ranging from about 30 degrees to about 90 degrees relative to the ground or a perpendicular plane extending from a side of the building. In addition, one or more surfaces of the first section and/or the second section are perforated, and the first section and/or the second section each include a channel configured to hold an electrical cable.

Abstract: A method, computer system, and computer program product are provided. A set of classifiers are applied to metric definitions of an electronic contract between computing devices of a service provider and a service consumer. Each classifier includes a selector pattern and a set of variable declarations. Performance data of the service provider computing device are filtered according to the selector pattern of the each classifier. One or more algebraic expressions of the metric definitions are evaluated in accordance with the each classifier and the filtered performance data to determine compliance of the service provider computing device with the electronic contract. Evaluation results indicating whether the service provider computing device is in compliance with the electronic contract are captured and reported.

Abstract: An apparatus, computer readable medium, and method are disclosed for decompressing compressed geometric data stored in a lossless compression format. The compressed geometric data resides within a compression block sized according to a system cache line. An indirection technique maps a global identifier value in a linear identifier space to corresponding variable rate compressed data. The apparatus may include decompression circuitry within a graphics processing unit configured to perform ray-tracing.

Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and system are disclosed for performing tree traversal with backtracking in constant time. The method includes the steps of traversing a tree, maintaining a bit trail variable and a current key variable during the traversing, where the bit trail variable includes a first plurality of bits indicating tree levels on which a node has been postponed along a path from the root of the tree during the traversing, and the current key variable includes a second plurality of bits indicating a number of a current node within the tree, and performing backtracking within the tree during the traversing, utilizing the bit trail variable and the current key variable.

Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and system are disclosed for reducing noise during a rendering of a scene by sharing information that is spatially close through path space filtering. A vertex of a light transport path is selected, and one or more features of the selected vertex are quantized. A first hash is calculated based on the one or more quantized features of the selected vertex, and a collision resolution is performed within a hash table. A contribution of the light transport path at the selected vertex is accumulated to the hash table, and a counter is incremented in response to adding the contribution of the light transport path at the selected vertex to the hash table. An average contribution of the light transport path is then calculated, utilizing the counter.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dispenser 20 for the spray delivery of a preparation 18. The dispenser comprises: a reservoir 22 suitable for containing the preparation 18, a mechanical pump 24, a load chamber 26, a nozzle 28 having a delivery axis, and a delivery cone 30 having an axis. The mechanical pump is able, whenever operated: to take a predetermined amount of preparation from the reservoir, to supply said amount of preparation to the load chamber upstream of the nozzle, and to create a delivery pressure in the load chamber. The nozzle is able to deliver said amount of preparation in the form of an aerosol spray 180. The dispenser according to the invention is characterized in that the delivery cone comprises, in the proximity of the nozzle, at least one through-hole 320 suitable for putting the inside of the delivery cone into communication with the surrounding environment.

Abstract: An apparatus, computer readable medium, and method are disclosed for decompressing compressed geometric data stored in a lossless compression format. The compressed geometric data resides within a compression block sized according to a system cache line. An indirection technique maps a global identifier value in a linear identifier space to corresponding variable rate compressed data. The apparatus may include decompression circuitry within a graphics processing unit configured to perform ray-tracing.

Abstract: Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are computing systems that imitate a human brain by learning to perform tasks by considering examples. By representing an artificial neural network utilizing individual paths each connecting an input of the ANN to an output of the ANN, a complexity of the ANN may be reduced, and the ANN may be trained and implemented in a much faster manner when compared to an implementation using fully connected ANN graphs.

Abstract: A method, a computer program, and a production renderer for accelerating a rendering process of an image are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes intercepting a first invocation of a function from a custom shader during a rendering process of an image, computing a result of the function employing a processor, and returning the result to the custom shader in response to a second invocation of the function during the rendering process.

Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and system are disclosed for reducing noise during a rendering of a scene by sharing information that is spatially close through path space filtering. A vertex of a light transport path is selected, and one or more features of the selected vertex are quantized. A first hash is calculated based on the one or more quantized features of the selected vertex, and a collision resolution is performed within a hash table. A contribution of the light transport path at the selected vertex is accumulated to the hash table, and a counter is incremented in response to adding the contribution of the light transport path at the selected vertex to the hash table. An average contribution of the light transport path is then calculated, utilizing the counter.

Abstract: A method for light transport includes steps of initializing a data structure that is configured to provide an importance value for each incident sample in a three-dimensional (3D) scene and tracing, in a direction from an origin, a ray of a plurality of rays through the 3D scene to intersect an object at a hitpoint. Additional steps include selecting a next direction of the ray according to a distribution of the importance values at the hitpoint, tracing the ray in the next direction to find a next hitpoint, updating a first importance value corresponding to the hitpoint using a second importance value corresponding to the next hitpoint, and setting the hitpoint of the ray to the next hitpoint. The additional steps are repeated until the next hitpoint is an endpoint. A contribution, based on each hitpoint and the endpoint, to a pixel that is intersected by the ray is recorded.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing a lighting simulation are disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model, receiving a set of probes, where each probe specifies a location within the 3D model and an orientation of the probe, and performing, via a processor, a lighting simulation based on the 3D model, the set of probes, and one or more light path expressions. The light path expressions are regular expressions that represent a series of events, each event representing an interaction of a ray at a location in the 3D model.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing a lighting simulation are disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model, receiving a set of probes, where each probe specifies a location within the 3D model and an orientation of the probe, and performing, via a processor, a lighting simulation based on the 3D model, the set of probes, and one or more light path expressions. The light path expressions are regular expressions that represent a series of events, each event representing an interaction of a ray at a location in the 3D model.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for performing path space filtering. In use, a set of light transport paths associated with a scene is sampled. Additionally, a plurality of vertices associated with the sampled set of light transport paths is selected, where each selected vertex has an associated throughput and light contribution. Further, an averaged light contribution of each of the selected plurality of vertices is determined, utilizing one or more weights. Further still, the averaged light contribution of each of the selected plurality of vertices is combined after multiplying the averaged light contribution of each of the selected vertices by the associated throughput of the vertex.

Abstract: An integrated renewable energy and asset system is provided.