Patent · US Active

Hierarchical structure for accelerating ray tracing operations in scene rendering

US9460546B1 · kind B1 · utility

13Cited by

73References

18Claims

0Family size

Assignee

NVIDIA Corporation · US

Inventors

Martin Stich · Memmingen, DE
Steven Parker · Draper, US
Heiko Friedrich · Beckingen, DE
Andreas Dietrich · Rebstein, CH

Key dates

Filing date	Mar 30, 2011
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016
Priority date	—
Expiry date	May 28, 2031

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG06T17/005
WIPO fieldComputer technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A hierarchical structure for accelerating ray tracing operations in scene rendering includes a plurality of geometry objects, and a single acceleration structure constructed over the collective plurality of geometry objects. Each geometry object includes primitives of a predefined type, whereby primitives within the plurality of geometry objects collectively define a geometry included within a region of the scene which is to be rendered. The single acceleration structure is operable for accelerating ray tracing operations for the primitives included within the plurality of geometry objects, and is constructed over the plurality of the geometry objects without an intervening bounding volume representation of the plurality of primitives included within the geometry objects.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.