Graphics Accelerator

About

One of the most computationally intensive processes in graphical displays is ray tracing, where the intersection between a line of sight (or a light source) and a 3D surface (represented by a large database of triangles) is calculated. In real time rendered images (e.g., video games) this is so much so that only primary ray tracing is performed. Global illumination, where diffuse light sources and multiple reflections are calculated, are only performed for high resolution movie quality, as each image can take hours to render. The more dynamic the image, the more computationally intensive it will be. This invention describes how to identify the intersection in a much more efficient manner, so it can introduce the concept of movie quality for real time rendered images. It is also deterministic with respect to the complexity of the calculation, allowing exact memory requirements to be defined and, being faster, it is less power hungry and therefore suitable for mobile applications. The algorithm is available as a library in a format compatible with OpenGL or DirectX, and is eminently suitable for committing to hardware as a graphics accelerator.   A patent application is pending.