Patents by Inventor Jon Story
Jon Story has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240070965Abstract: A ray (e.g., a traced path of light, etc.) is generated from an originating pixel within a scene being rendered. Additionally, one or more shadow map lookups are performed for the originating pixel to estimate an intersection of the ray with alpha-tested geometry within the scene. A shadow map stores the distance of geometry as seen from the point of view of the light, and alpha-tested geometry includes objects within the scene being rendered that have a determined texture and opacity. Further, the one or more shadow map lookups are performed to determine a visibility value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies whether the originating pixel is in a shadow) and a distance value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies how far the pixel is from the light). Further still, the visibility value and the distance value for the pixel are passed to a denoiser.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2023Publication date: February 29, 2024Inventors: Jon Story, Holger Heinrich Gruen
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Patent number: 11847733Abstract: A ray (e.g., a traced path of light, etc.) is generated from an originating pixel within a scene being rendered. Additionally, one or more shadow map lookups are performed for the originating pixel to estimate an intersection of the ray with alpha-tested geometry within the scene. A shadow map stores the distance of geometry as seen from the point of view of the light, and alpha-tested geometry includes objects within the scene being rendered that have a determined texture and opacity. Further, the one or more shadow map lookups are performed to determine a visibility value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies whether the originating pixel is in a shadow) and a distance value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies how far the pixel is from the light). Further still, the visibility value and the distance value for the pixel are passed to a denoiser.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2021Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jon Story, Holger Heinrich Gruen
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Patent number: 11734872Abstract: The disclosure presents a technique for utilizing ray tracing to produce high quality visual scenes with shadows while minimizing computing costs. The disclosed technique can lower the number of rays needed for shadow region rendering and still maintain a targeted visual quality for the scene. In one example, a method for denoising a ray traced scene is disclosed that includes: (1) applying a pixel mask to a data structure of data from the scene, wherein the applying uses the scene at full resolution and pixels at the edge of a depth boundary change are identified using the pixel mask, (2) generating a penumbra mask using the data structure, (3) adjusting HitT values in the packed data buffer utilizing the penumbra mask, and (4) denoising the scene by reducing scene noise in the data of the data structure with adjusted HitT values.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2022Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventor: Jon Story
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Publication number: 20220319098Abstract: The disclosure presents a technique for utilizing ray tracing to produce high quality visual scenes with shadows while minimizing computing costs. The disclosed technique can lower the number of rays needed for shadow region rendering and still maintain a targeted visual quality for the scene. In one example, a method for denoising a ray traced scene is disclosed that includes: (1) applying a pixel mask to a data structure of data from the scene, wherein the applying uses the scene at full resolution and pixels at the edge of a depth boundary change are identified using the pixel mask, (2) generating a penumbra mask using the data structure, (3) adjusting HitT values in the packed data buffer utilizing the penumbra mask, and (4) denoising the scene by reducing scene noise in the data of the data structure with adjusted HitT values.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventor: Jon Story
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Patent number: 11367244Abstract: The disclosure presents a technique for utilizing ray tracing to produce high quality visual scenes with shadows while minimizing computing costs. The disclosed technique can lower the number of rays needed for shadow region rendering and still maintain a targeted visual quality for the scene. In one example, a method for denoising a ray traced scene is disclosed that includes: (1) applying a pixel mask to a data structure of data from the scene, wherein the applying uses the scene at full resolution and pixels at the edge of a depth boundary change are identified using the pixel mask, (2) generating a penumbra mask using the data structure, (3) adjusting HitT values in the packed data buffer utilizing the penumbra mask, and (4) denoising the scene by reducing scene noise in the data of the data structure with adjusted HitT values.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2021Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: Nvidia CorporationInventor: Jon Story
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Patent number: 11348308Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate efficient and effective shadow image generation are presented. In one embodiment, a hard shadow generation system comprises a compute shader, pixel shader and graphics shader. The compute shader is configured to retrieve pixel depth information and generate projection matrix information, wherein the generating includes performing dynamic re-projection from eye-space to light space utilizing the pixel depth information. The pixel shader is configured to create light space visibility information. The graphics shader is configured to perform frustum trace operations to produce hard shadow information, wherein the frustum trace operations utilize the light space visibility information. The light space visibility information can be considered irregular z information stored in an irregular z-buffer.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2020Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventor: Jon Story
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Publication number: 20210256759Abstract: A ray (e.g., a traced path of light, etc.) is generated from an originating pixel within a scene being rendered. Additionally, one or more shadow map lookups are performed for the originating pixel to estimate an intersection of the ray with alpha-tested geometry within the scene. A shadow map stores the distance of geometry as seen from the point of view of the light, and alpha-tested geometry includes objects within the scene being rendered that have a determined texture and opacity. Further, the one or more shadow map lookups are performed to determine a visibility value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies whether the originating pixel is in a shadow) and a distance value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies how far the pixel is from the light). Further still, the visibility value and the distance value for the pixel are passed to a denoiser.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2021Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Jon Story, Holger Heinrich Gruen
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Publication number: 20210192830Abstract: The disclosure presents a technique for utilizing ray tracing to produce high quality visual scenes with shadows while minimizing computing costs. The disclosed technique can lower the number of rays needed for shadow region rendering and still maintain a targeted visual quality for the scene. In one example, a method for denoising a ray traced scene is disclosed that includes: (1) applying a pixel mask to a data structure of data from the scene, wherein the applying uses the scene at full resolution and pixels at the edge of a depth boundary change are identified using the pixel mask, (2) generating a penumbra mask using the data structure, (3) adjusting HitT values in the packed data buffer utilizing the penumbra mask, and (4) denoising the scene by reducing scene noise in the data of the data structure with adjusted HitT values.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2021Publication date: June 24, 2021Inventor: Jon Story
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Patent number: 11004254Abstract: A ray (e.g., a traced path of light, etc.) is generated from an originating pixel within a scene being rendered. Additionally, one or more shadow map lookups are performed for the originating pixel to estimate an intersection of the ray with alpha-tested geometry within the scene. A shadow map stores the distance of geometry as seen from the point of view of the light, and alpha-tested geometry includes objects within the scene being rendered that have a determined texture and opacity. Further, the one or more shadow map lookups are performed to determine a visibility value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies whether the originating pixel is in a shadow) and a distance value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies how far the pixel is from the light). Further still, the visibility value and the distance value for the pixel are passed to a denoiser.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2019Date of Patent: May 11, 2021Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jon Story, Holger Heinrich Gruen
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Patent number: 10943387Abstract: This disclosure presents a technique for utilizing ray tracing to produce a high quality visual scene that includes shadows while minimizing computing costs. Since the scene quality and computing cost is directly proportional to the number of rays used, this technique can lower the number of rays needed for shadow region rendering while maintaining a targeted visual quality for the scene. The process includes generating a complex pixel mask based on depth boundary testing, and generating a penumbra mask based on the shadow regions. These masks can use distance/depth data to cull certain pixels from their respective analysis to reduce processing time. A penumbra area can then be denoised using the two masks and the distance/depth data. Finally, the depth boundary pixel computations, i.e., complex pixels, can be resolved. From these processes, a final shadow mask can be generated and sent to the rendering process to complete the scene rendering.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2019Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: Nvidia CorporationInventor: Jon Story
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Publication number: 20210027520Abstract: A ray (e.g., a traced path of light, etc.) is generated from an originating pixel within a scene being rendered. Additionally, one or more shadow map lookups are performed for the originating pixel to estimate an intersection of the ray with alpha-tested geometry within the scene. A shadow map stores the distance of geometry as seen from the point of view of the light, and alpha-tested geometry includes objects within the scene being rendered that have a determined texture and opacity. Further, the one or more shadow map lookups are performed to determine a visibility value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies whether the originating pixel is in a shadow) and a distance value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies how far the pixel is from the light). Further still, the visibility value and the distance value for the pixel are passed to a denoiser.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2019Publication date: January 28, 2021Inventors: Jon Story, Holger Heinrich Gruen
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Publication number: 20200342658Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate efficient and effective shadow image generation are presented. In one embodiment, a hard shadow generation system comprises a compute shader, pixel shader and graphics shader. The compute shader is configured to retrieve pixel depth information and generate projection matrix information, wherein the generating includes performing dynamic re-projection from eye-space to light space utilizing the pixel depth information. The pixel shader is configured to create light space visibility information. The graphics shader is configured to perform frustum trace operations to produce hard shadow information, wherein the frustum trace operations utilize the light space visibility information. The light space visibility information can be considered irregular z information stored in an irregular z-buffer.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2020Publication date: October 29, 2020Inventor: Jon Story
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Patent number: 10748332Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate efficient and effective shadow image generation are presented. In one embodiment, a hard shadow generation system comprises a compute shader, pixel shader and graphics shader. The compute shader is configured to retrieve pixel depth information and generate projection matrix information, wherein the generating includes performing dynamic re-projection from eye-space to light space utilizing the pixel depth information. The pixel shader is configured to create light space visibility information. The graphics shader is configured to perform frustum trace operations to produce hard shadow information, wherein the frustum trace operations utilize the light space visibility information. The light space visibility information can be considered irregular z information stored in an irregular z-buffer.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2018Date of Patent: August 18, 2020Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventor: Jon Story
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Publication number: 20200074717Abstract: This disclosure presents a technique for utilizing ray tracing to produce a high quality visual scene that includes shadows while minimizing computing costs. Since the scene quality and computing cost is directly proportional to the number of rays used, this technique can lower the number of rays needed for shadow region rendering while maintaining a targeted visual quality for the scene. The process includes generating a complex pixel mask based on depth boundary testing, and generating a penumbra mask based on the shadow regions. These masks can use distance/depth data to cull certain pixels from their respective analysis to reduce processing time. A penumbra area can then be denoised using the two masks and the distance/depth data. Finally, the depth boundary pixel computations, i.e., complex pixels, can be resolved. From these processes, a final shadow mask can be generated and sent to the rendering process to complete the scene rendering.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2019Publication date: March 5, 2020Inventor: Jon Story
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Publication number: 20180268604Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate efficient and effective shadow image generation are presented. In one embodiment, a hard shadow generation system comprises a compute shader, pixel shader and graphics shader. The compute shader is configured to retrieve pixel depth information and generate projection matrix information, wherein the generating includes performing dynamic re-projection from eye-space to light space utilizing the pixel depth information. The pixel shader is configured to create light space visibility information. The graphics shader is configured to perform frustum trace operations to produce hard shadow information, wherein the frustum trace operations utilize the light space visibility information. The light space visibility information can be considered irregular z information stored in an irregular z-buffer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2018Publication date: September 20, 2018Inventor: Jon Story