Real-Time 3D Raytracing Chip

[Iced_Eagle]

So, everyone heard about the PPU by now (if not, search this forum) but have you heard about the real-time raytracing chip?

Raytracing is how light bounces and reflects off other surfaces, and such calculations have never been done in games before until now... To know what I mean, hold up a piece of white paper, then hold a green tennis ball behind that... Woot for real life raytracing?

http://www.saarcor.de/ (The chip)
http://graphics.cs.uni-sb.de/~jofis/SaarCOR/DynRT/DynRT.html (videos/screenshots etc)

This was shown off at CeBit showing a 350 million polygon Boeing model, rendered in realtime with advanced lighting


Hmmmm I wish they would make the PPU and this Real-time Raytracing Card like the size of a CPU, so then you wouldn't have to waste slots!


Oh and this Card is in the prototype stages, but right now it's putting out the performance in raytracing equal to a P4 @ 8-12 GHz (obviously this is virtual testing as you can't get a chip up that high yet )


http://science.slashdot.org/science/05/03/15/0124218.shtml?tid=152&tid=137&tid=14

 

[oberGeist]

there is a raytraced version of quake 1 (or atleast quake's levels on a raytrace engine), and it looks somewhat like doom3.
but from what I've read such calculations as radiosity or refractions can be made extremaly fast and easy with this kind of chip.

next step in gpu/3d technology perhaps?

 

[ComradeBadger]

Where could I find that raytraced version of Quake? Or at least pics

 

[The Dark Elf]

So, everyone heard about the PPU by now (if not, search this forum) but have you heard about the real-time raytracing chip?

Raytracing is how light bounces and reflects off other surfaces, and such calculations have never been done in games before until now... To know what I mean, hold up a piece of white paper, then hold a green tennis ball behind that... Woot for real life raytracing?

http://www.saarcor.de/ (The chip)
http://graphics.cs.uni-sb.de/~jofis/SaarCOR/DynRT/DynRT.html (videos/screenshots etc)

This was shown off at CeBit showing a 350 million polygon Boeing model, rendered in realtime with advanced lighting


Hmmmm I wish they would make the PPU and this Real-time Raytracing Card like the size of a CPU, so then you wouldn't have to waste slots!


Oh and this Card is in the prototype stages, but right now it's putting out the performance in raytracing equal to a P4 @ 8-12 GHz (obviously this is virtual testing as you can't get a chip up that high yet )


http://science.slashdot.org/science/05/03/15/0124218.shtml?tid=152&tid=137&tid=14

Looks kinda interesting, but the whole reflection thing is kinda a waste right now. And tbh I wouldn't be wasting time on ray traced shadows, they aren't realistic and even pre-rendered methods of getting more realistic "real" shadowing is still just a trick and basically nothing more than an advanced spinning light trick (google to see what that is if anyone is unsure about it)

Granted this chip is good, its good they made that. But most gamers wont touch it when they see games using other methods that look better. Sure, it worked fine for Doom, but compare the exterior screenshots/vid section on that site with something like UE3 or even FarCry and its just more pleasing to the eye and realistic looking.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Yeah I don't think this will get the widespread accepted use as the PPU, well at least not initially....

Like you said games can fake it and it looks MUCH better
The prototype card is about a foot and a half long, no joke
It's still a prototype

I think that if they keep pushing forward and make it a LOT smaller, then maybe it might turn some heads...

 

[The Dark Elf]

Yeah I don't think this will get the widespread accepted use as the PPU, well at least not initially....

Like you said games can fake it and it looks MUCH better
The prototype card is about a foot and a half long, no joke
It's still a prototype

I think that if they keep pushing forward and make it a LOT smaller, then maybe it might turn some heads...

A Few years it'll probably be compulsory for games, and be tied in with DX features (basically like that post I made a while back, with specialist cards for all the major area's), until then it'll be just a cool thing like VR headsets were (I miss those)

Heh and people said I was being silly saying there would be a card just for lighting effects

 

[StardogChampion]

I don't get it... they can raytrace a scene and get 3fps... ?

 

[Iced_Eagle]

It's all done in realtime though.... They are calculating all the light that is bouncing around the scene....

Usually they have render farms (a bunch of computers hooked together) and render them, and still don't get "real-time" speeds.... Plus, watch the video... They get 25 FPS which is pretty damn good for doing all the raytracing in real-time

This is also a prototype card.. The real-card will be a huge improvment!