Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for splitting primitives. A plurality of primitives is received for a scene and a pre-determined plane that intersects the scene is identified. Bounding volumes of the plurality of primitives that are intersected by the pre-determined plane are split, where a bounding volume that encloses each intersected primitive of the plurality of primitives is split into a first bounding volume and a second bounding volume at an intersection of the bounding volume and the pre-determined plane.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for utilizing a wavefront path tracer. In use, a set of light transport paths associated with a scene is identified. Additionally, parallel path tracing is performed, utilizing a wavefront path tracer.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for conservative rasterization of primitives using an error term. In use, an edge equation is determined for each edge of a primitive, the edge equation having coefficients defining the edge of the primitive. Each edge of the primitive is shifted to enlarge the primitive by modifying coefficients of the edge equation defining the edge by an error term that is a predetermined amount. Pixels that intersect the primitive are then determined using the enlarged primitive.

Abstract: A method and a system are provided for hardware scheduling of barrier instructions. Execution of a plurality of threads to process instructions of a program that includes a barrier instruction is initiated, and when each thread reaches the barrier instruction during execution of program, it is determined whether the thread participates in the barrier instruction. The threads that participate in the barrier instruction are then serially executed to process one or more instructions of the program that follow the barrier instruction. A method and system are also provided for impatient scheduling of barrier instructions. When a portion of the threads that is greater than a minimum number of threads and less than all of the threads in the plurality of threads reaches the barrier instruction each of the threads in the portion is serially executed to process one or more instructions of the program that follow the barrier instruction.

Abstract: Method including casting a first plurality of rays towards an original 3-D scene comprising objects with object surfaces. Method also includes constructing a simplified representation of the original 3-D scene and adjusting the simplified representation to be consistent with the original 3-D scene. Simplified representation is adjusted by using known rays and object surface intersections obtained from the casting, to produce an adjusted simplified representation.

Abstract: A method including casting a ray from a point toward a point-based three dimensional scene. The scene includes memory resident objects with object surfaces and a first splat and a second splat associated with the object surfaces. The first splat and the second splat have a position and a normal vector. The method also includes forming an event line through the first splat and the second splat. The event line intersects the first splat and the second splat. The method further includes determining whether a visibility conflict exists between the first splat and the second splat. The method also includes separating the first splat and the second splat to different object surfaces if the visibility conflict exists, otherwise merging the first splat and the second splat to a single object surface.

Abstract: A system includes a processor having an instruction register for storing an instruction having a predefined opcode, a predicate register for storing a predicate condition to select an output register for a result of the instruction, a first output register, and a second output register. The processor further includes processor circuitry operable to execute the instruction to produce a result, and processor circuitry operable to store the result of the instruction in the first output register if the predicate condition to select the output is true, and to store the second output register if the predicate condition to select the output is false. A single instruction is used to produce the result, and to store the result of the instruction.

Abstract: A method including performing ray traversal wherein the ray traversal includes determining boxes intersected by a ray. The ray traversal includes performing a ray-box intersection test including calculating plane intersections, and determining comparisons of two operands wherein each operand is a binary representation of a floating point value and wherein further the determining comparisons operation is performed using an integer unit of the computer graphics system. The ray-box intersection test further includes, responsive to results of the comparisons, calculating span intersections of the boxes.