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Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

blogs.msdn.microsoft.com

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Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#33
post #7

The only issue is that a lot of this is already possible in the current renderers at a reduced cost. - Soft shadows work in WebGL fairly well using PCSS: https://clara.io/player/v2/8f49e7c3-7c5e-43f0-a09c-33a55bb1b... - Translucency can be faked effectively using a few different methods. https://clara.io/view/5c7d28c0-91d7-4432-a131-3e6fd657a042 - Screen space ambient occlusion, if using SAO, is amazing. SAO test: ht…

Maybe all these techniques exist because ray tracing wasn't really possible, so a lot of workarounds were found. If ray tracing becomes mainstream and researchers focus their attention more on that, perhaps some awesome new things will be developed that aren't possible in the existing paradigm.

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#34
post #6

> From each light source within a scene, rays of light are projected, bouncing around until they strike the camera. Which is definitely not how raytracing is done if you want to get an image before the end of the world occurs. Rays are traced from the camera, and then back to the light sources. Some amount of pre-lighting can be done by tracing photons forwards from lights, but not the main image generation.

Looks like it was updated to the following which is closer:

> Depending on the exact algorithm used, rays of light are projected either from each light source, or from each raster pixel; they bounce around the objects in the scnee[sic] until they strike (depending on direction) either the camera or a light source

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#35
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In path tracing ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_tracing ), which is what the VFX industry uses primarily, both directions happen.

Does anyone use path tracing for live renderings? I think that is the question.

People are definitely working toward it, at least.

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#36

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXo0WdlELJk I'm pleased to see that the tech video includes spherical mirrors. As I understand it, all raytracing demos are obliged by universal law to include at least three reflective balls in any promotion of the technology. One day, someone will figure out a game where these super-shiny ball bearings are a critical part of the gameplay, and at that point, raytracing will finally ta…

Portal :p ?

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#37
post #24
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone use path tracing for live renderings? I think that is the question.

Brigade Engine, for example: https://home.otoy.com/render/brigade/

Is that even released yet? Or demo-able? I thought it was just "in progress" for ages?

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#38
post #7

The only issue is that a lot of this is already possible in the current renderers at a reduced cost. - Soft shadows work in WebGL fairly well using PCSS: https://clara.io/player/v2/8f49e7c3-7c5e-43f0-a09c-33a55bb1b... - Translucency can be faked effectively using a few different methods. https://clara.io/view/5c7d28c0-91d7-4432-a131-3e6fd657a042 - Screen space ambient occlusion, if using SAO, is amazing. SAO test: ht…

While the above is accurrate I think it's a bit one sided. Physically Based Rendering has become the dominant approach in VFX because it's a huge simplification and productivity boost. Integrating tons of special purpose hacks into one renderer isn't just hard for the renderer devs, the control parameters exposed to artists become an absolute nightmare. Combing the PBR perspective with raytracing greatly simplifies b…

I agree that PBR is awesome, but PBR doesn't slow things down, it is just a replacement by less accurate equations (BlinnPhong ambient,diffuse,specular) with better equations (GGX albeido, roughness, metallic, clearcoat, sheen) that are generally the same complexity.

It is sort of neutral on render time for the most part.

In time, I am sure we will be in a raytraced future if GPU trends continue.

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#39

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXo0WdlELJk I'm pleased to see that the tech video includes spherical mirrors. As I understand it, all raytracing demos are obliged by universal law to include at least three reflective balls in any promotion of the technology. One day, someone will figure out a game where these super-shiny ball bearings are a critical part of the gameplay, and at that point, raytracing will finally ta…

Even in AAA games of today with amazing graphics, I still see polygons in cylindrical, conical and round objects (I'm not talking about raytracing but regular rendering). Everything looks so realistic, but a well or bucket [1] or some other cylindrical object you encounter looks not round but faceted, breaking the suspension of disbelief.

Raytracing may bring more roundness, but why not quadratic surfaces or some other fast enough to render method of real roundness in rasterizers? It may be expensive (although one surface would replace many polygons...), but it'd solve one of the last remaining uglinesses :)

[1] https://imgur.com/gallery/AdDyT8B

Re: Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing

#40
post #2

Graphics programmers have been predicting this revolution for almost as long as I can remember. It's quite exciting that so many of the big players seem to believe it is almost time.

> Graphics programmers have been predicting this revolution...

Mostly it has seemed like it's been everyone except the actual graphics programmers.

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