Hierarchical space subdivision hardware for ray tracing
US6597359B1 · kind B1 · utility
80Cited by
7References
21Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jul 22, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 17, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/06
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention is a method and apparatus for a ray tracer incorporating major functions of ray tracing in hardware. The invention performs the hierarchical space subdivision technique of accelerating a ray tracer, statically or dynamically. The preferred embodiment is a fully recursive and dynamic system employing an octree hierarchy. The system utilizes hard-wired electronics instead of software, with the accompanying adjustments to better suite the hardware implementation. The invention also specifically claims caching of scene object descriptions, specific subdivision criteria, and other refinements.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.