Specialized Acceleration Structures and Algorithms for Real Time Visibility

Abstract

Modern rendering systems require fast and efficient acceleration structures for computing visibility in real time. I propose several novel algorithmic techniques for constructing such structures quickly. Additionally I propose a uniform taxonomy for classifying visibility acceleration structures and specializations of these acceleration structures. This taxonomy will illuminate a continuum of algorithms between classical ray-tracing and classical rasterization. Given this taxonomy, I will propose several new acceleration structures for ray-tracing that provide performance comparable to z-buffer algorithms. I will also propose acceleration structures for beam tracing that allow for analytic integration also with performance comparable to z-buffer algorithms. Finally I will propose a rendering system composed of these acceleration structures and provide ray-tracing results an order of magnitude faster than current ray-tracing systems. This system demonstrates real time features such as hard shadows and analytic anti-aliasing on one core of a modern CPU.