Real-Time Ray Tracing is the future of computer graphics. While it solves a lot of limitations we have with rasterization techniques, it also introduced a lot of new challenges. Most challenges come for the nature of real-time applications and the limited computation power we still have. Therefor most real-time ray tracing applications are still embedded in a hybrid rendering pipeline, combining the best of both rasterization and ray tracing.

 

This research project focusses on both the implementation of ray tracing in a hybrid rendering pipeline and optimization techniques to keep the real-time frame rates. Based on input from external partners we work on several use-cases that are specific to video games, such as:

• Large Scale Dynamic Environments
• User created content
• Transparency & Partial Coverage (eg. moving foliage and vegetation)
• Dynamic Global Illumination
• Optimizations using Load Balancing, Temporal Reprojection and Variable Ray Tracing

 

Next to video game specific ray tracing techniques using existing API’s such as DXR (DirectX Ray Tracing), we also keep track of state-of-the-art rendering techniques and test them in a fully ray traced environment using a custom GPU accelerated framework using Nvidia’s CUDA SDK. 

 

This 2-year PWO project started in January 2020.

 

 

For any ray tracing or partnership related questions, please contact the project lead Matthieu Delaere (matthieu.delaere@howest.be).