US 12,229,868 B2
Ray tracing in computer graphics using intersection testing at selective resolution
Luke T. Peterson, San Francisco, CA (US); James A. McCombe, San Francisco, CA (US); Ryan R. Salsbury, Mountain View, CA (US); and Stephen Purcell, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Imagination Technologies Limited, Kings Langley (GB)
Filed by Imagination Technologies Limited, Kings Langley (GB)
Filed on Aug. 27, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/004,294.
Application 17/004,294 is a continuation of application No. 16/225,273, filed on Dec. 19, 2018, granted, now 10,789,758.
Application 16/225,273 is a continuation of application No. 15/496,494, filed on Apr. 25, 2017, granted, now 10,192,350, issued on Jan. 29, 2019.
Application 15/496,494 is a continuation of application No. 14/558,493, filed on Dec. 2, 2014, granted, now 9,633,468, issued on Apr. 25, 2017.
Application 14/558,493 is a continuation of application No. 13/959,552, filed on Aug. 5, 2013, granted, now 8,902,230, issued on Dec. 2, 2014.
Application 13/959,552 is a continuation of application No. 13/525,300, filed on Jun. 16, 2012, granted, now 8,502,820, issued on Aug. 6, 2013.
Application 13/525,300 is a continuation of application No. 12/941,884, filed on Nov. 8, 2010, granted, now 8,203,559, issued on Jun. 19, 2012.
Application 12/941,884 is a continuation of application No. 12/408,478, filed on Mar. 20, 2009, granted, now 7,830,379, issued on Nov. 9, 2010.
Application 12/408,478 is a continuation in part of application No. 11/856,612, filed on Sep. 17, 2007, granted, now 7,969,434, issued on Jun. 28, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/095,890, filed on Sep. 10, 2008.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/038,731, filed on Mar. 21, 2008.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/826,201, filed on Sep. 19, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2020/0394832 A1, Dec. 17, 2020
Int. Cl. G06T 15/06 (2011.01); G06T 15/00 (2011.01); G06T 15/50 (2011.01); G06T 15/80 (2011.01)
CPC G06T 15/06 (2013.01) [G06T 15/005 (2013.01); G06T 15/50 (2013.01); G06T 15/80 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method of rendering a scene by performing ray tracing, said performing ray tracing comprising tracing primary rays through the scene to render the scene in an immersive virtual reality system, wherein the origin of each of the primary rays is based on a viewpoint from which the scene is to be rendered, the method of performing ray tracing comprising:
performing, at one or more processing units, intersection testing of primary rays against shapes to generate intersection test results, wherein said performing intersection testing comprises performing a first subset of intersection tests by testing in parallel, in each respective processing unit, a respective different ray with a single shape and subsequently performing a second subset of intersection tests by testing in parallel, in each respective processing unit, a respective different ray with a second single shape; and
using said intersection test results generated from intersection testing of primary rays to render the scene from said viewpoint in the immersive virtual reality system.