Abstract: Systems and methods to implement a technique for determining an environment importance sampling function. An environment map may be provided where lighting information about the environment is known, but where certain pixels within a scene associated with the environment map are shaded. From these shaded pixels, rays may be drawn in random directions to determine whether the rays are occluded or can interact with the environment map, which provides an indication of a source of lighting that can be used for light transport simulations. A mask may be generated based on these occlusions and used to update the environment importance sampling function.

Abstract: A method of adjusting a shading normal vector for a computer graphics rendering program. Calculating a normalized shading normal vector pointing outwards from an origin point on a tessellated surface modeling a target surface to be rendered. Calculating a normalized outgoing reflection vector projecting from the origin point for an incoming view vector directed towards the origin point and reflecting relative to the normalized shading normal vector. Calculating a correction vector such that when the correction vector is added to the normalized outgoing reflection vector a resulting vector sum is yielded that is equal to a maximum reflection vector, wherein the maximum reflection vector is on or above the tessellated surface. Calculating a normalized maximum reflection vector by normalizing a vector sum of the correction vector plus the maximum reflection vector.

Abstract: A method and renderer for a progressive computation of a light transport simulation are provided. The method includes the steps of employing a low discrepancy sequence of samples; and scrambling an index of the low discrepancy sequence independently per region using a hash value based on coordinates of a respective region, wherein for each set of a power-of-two number of the samples, the scrambling is a permutation.

Abstract: A method of adjusting a shading normal vector for a computer graphics rendering program. Calculating a normalized shading normal vector pointing outwards from an origin point on a tessellated surface modeling a target surface to be rendered. Calculating a normalized outgoing reflection vector projecting from the origin point for an incoming view vector directed towards the origin point and reflecting relative to the normalized shading normal vector. Calculating a correction vector such that when the correction vector is added to the normalized outgoing reflection vector a resulting vector sum is yielded that is equal to a maximum reflection vector, wherein the maximum reflection vector is on or above the tessellated surface. Calculating a normalized maximum reflection vector by normalizing a vector sum of the correction vector plus the maximum reflection vector.

Abstract: A method and renderer for a progressive computation of a light transport simulation are provided. The method includes the steps of employing a low discrepancy sequence of samples; and scrambling an index of the low discrepancy sequence independently per region using a hash value based on coordinates of a respective region, wherein for each set of a power-of-two number of the samples, the scrambling is a permutation.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and a system that allow for deterministic parallel low discrepancy sampling, which can be efficiently processed, and are effective in removing transitionary artifacts that occur in low-dimensional projections generated in low discrepancy sequences. Embodiments of the claimed subject matter further provide improvements upon the low-dimensional projections and thus the visual quality when using the Sobol' sequence for image synthesis.

Abstract: A processing system, a method of carrying out sample-based rendering (such as true or quasi-Monte Carlo rendering) in a multi- or many-core processor processing system and a graphics processing unit (GPU) incorporating the processing system or the method. In one embodiment, the processing system includes: (1) a sample-space distributor operable to distribute a first subset of samples for a pixel of an image to a first compute core for sample-based rendering therewith and a second subset of samples for the pixel to a second compute core for the sample-based rendering therewith, the second subset differing from the first subset and (2) a sample-space combiner associated with the sample-space distributor and operable to combine results of the sample-based rendering.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for focusing computing power to a region of interest that can be changed interactively and arbitrarily during the process of image synthesis. In operation, a problem domain is partitioned utilizing a first selected technique. Additionally, a number of samples to be drawn per partition are assigned utilizing a second selected technique. Furthermore, the assigned number of samples are drawn for each partition, where the samples are generated by only one deterministic sample sequence. Still yet, the partitioning, assigning, and drawing are capable of being repeated such that existing partitions and assignments are capable of remaining unchanged during sampling and a convergence speed is adapted without compromising convergence in at least one of a sequential computing environment or a parallel computing environment. In this way, the convergence of image synthesis is not compromised.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and a system that allow for deterministic parallel low discrepancy sampling, which can be efficient processed, and are effective in removing transitionary artifacts that occur in low-dimensional projections generated in low discrepancy sequences. Embodiments of the claimed subject matter further provide improvements upon the low-dimensional projections and thus the visual quality when using the Sobol' sequence for image synthesis.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program code (software) products executable in a digital processor operable to simulate light transport in a scene by ray tracing (wherein the digital processor is operable to maintain an object list representing a list of objects associated with a boundary of the scene) include executing a ray tracing method that traces r rays through n objects by (1) partitioning the object list in a recursive manner to generate partitions and (2) culling away the partitions of objects from rays, without using an explicit auxiliary acceleration data structure.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer program code (software) products operable within a computer graphics system or other computer system enable quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) light transport simulation by ray tracing: and include constructing a bounding interval hierarchy (BIH), within a computer, using quantized planes to reduce memory requirements while maintaining a selected degree of precision.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for focusing computing power to a region of interest that can be changed interactively and arbitrarily during the process of image synthesis. In operation, a problem domain is partitioned utilizing a first selected technique. Additionally, a number of samples to be drawn per partition are assigned utilizing a second selected technique. Furthermore, the assigned number of samples are drawn for each partition, where the samples are generated by only one deterministic sample sequence. Still yet, the partitioning, assigning, and drawing are capable of being repeated such that existing partitions and assignments are capable of remaining unchanged during sampling and a convergence speed is adapted without compromising convergence in at least one of a sequential computing environment or a parallel computing environment. In this way, the convergence of image synthesis is not compromised.

Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus and computer software/computer code products operable to enable computer graphics systems to simulate Markov chains (and thus trajectories of photons and the like) comprise simulating, and/or means for simulating, Markov chains using a quasi-Monte Carlo methodology, wherein the simulating of Markov chains comprises sorting states, and wherein the sorting comprises proximity sorting.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods, systems and computer program code (software) products for terminating spatial partition hierarchies and other hierarchies by a priori bounding.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program code (software) products executable in a digital processor operable to simulate light transport in a scene by ray tracing (wherein the digital processor is operable to maintain an object list representing a list of objects associated with a boundary of the scene) include executing a ray tracing method that traces r rays through n objects by (1) partitioning the object list in a recursive manner to generate partitions and (2) culling away the partitions of objects from rays, without using an explicit auxiliary acceleration data structure.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for ray tracing and for the efficient construction of acceleration data structures required for fast ray tracing. A computer graphics system generates, for each pixel in an image, a pixel value that is representative of a point in a scene as recorded on an image plane of a simulated camera. The computer graphics system is configured to generate the pixel value for an image using a selected ray-tracing methodology . The selected ray-tracing methodology includes the use of a ray tree that includes at least one ray shot from the pixel into a scene along a selected direction. The ray-tracing methodology further includes calculating the intersections of rays and surfaces in the scene. An axis-aligned bounding box is defined that contains, for a given ray, the point of intersection of the ray and surface nearest the origin of the ray. The bounding box is iteratively refined until a predetermined termination criterion has been met.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer program products operable in a computer graphics system include constructing a hierarchical ray tracing acceleration data structure comprising a tree structure, the nodes of which are generated utilizing a bounding interval hierarchy based on defining an axis-aligned scene bounding box and two parallel planes to partition a set of objects in a scene into left objects and right objects, and matching split planes to object bounding boxes. The two planes are perpendicular to a selected one of x, y, or z-axes. Given a splitting plane, each object in an image is classified either left or right based on a left/right selection criterion, and two splitting plane values of the child nodes are determined by the maximum and minimum coordinate of the left and right objects, respectively.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer program code (software) products operable within a computer graphics system or other computer system enable quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) light transport simulation by efficient ray tracing.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for ray tracing and for the efficient construction of acceleration data structures required for fast ray tracing. A computer graphics system generates, for each pixel in an image, a pixel value that is representative of a point in a scene as recorded on an image plane of a simulated camera. The computer graphics system is configured to generate the pixel value for an image using a selected ray-tracing methodology. The selected ray-tracing methodology includes the use of a ray tree that includes at least one ray shot from the pixel into a scene along a selected direction. The ray-tracing methodology further includes calculating the intersections of rays and surfaces in the scene. An axis-aligned bounding box is defined that contains, for a given ray, the point of intersection of the ray and surface nearest the origin of the ray. The bounding box is iteratively refined until a predetermined termination criterion has been met.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer program products operable in a computer graphics system include constructing a hierarchical ray tracing acceleration data structure comprising a tree structure, the nodes of which are generated utilizing a bounding interval hierarchy based on defining an axis-aligned scene bounding box and two parallel planes to partition a set of objects in a sense into left objects and right objects, and matching split planes to object bounding boxes. The two planes are perpendicular to a selected one of x, y, or z-axes. Given a splitting plane, each object in an image is classified either left or right based on a left/right selection criterion, and two splitting plane values of the child modes are determined by the maximum and minimum coordinate of the left and right objects, respectively.