Apparatus and method for quantized convergent direction-based ray sorting
Apparatus and method for grouping rays based on quantized ray directions. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: An apparatus comprising: a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays; ray direction evaluation circuitry/logic to generate approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays; ray sorting circuitry/logic to sort the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays;
ray direction evaluation circuitry/logic to generate approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays, wherein the approximate ray direction data comprises a quantized direction value associated with each ray of the plurality of rays; and
ray sorting circuitry/logic to sort the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the quantized direction value for each ray comprises first data indicating a side of a volume intersected by the ray and second data comprising quantized intersection coordinates of an intersection between the ray and the side of the volume.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ray sorting circuitry/logic is to group one or more of the plurality of rays into the plurality of ray queues based on a combination of the quantized direction value and a shader record key associated with the ray.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ray sorting circuitry/logic is to first attempt to match a ray with a ray queue using both the quantized ray direction value and the shader record key and to attempt to match the ray with a ray queue using only the shader record key only when a match is not found.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein when a match is not found using the both the quantized ray direction value and the shader record key, the ray sorting circuitry/logic is to attempt to allocate a new ray queue containing the ray.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the ray sorting circuitry/logic is to attempt to match the ray with a ray queue using only the shader record key only after determining that the new ray queue cannot be allocated.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a ray dispatcher to dispatch the plurality of rays in groups defined by the ray queues in which the rays are stored.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
ray traversal circuitry to traverse one or more of the plurality of rays through a bounding volume hierarchy; and
ray intersection circuitry to determine intersections between one or more of the plurality of rays and one or more objects in a scene.
9. A method comprising:
generating a plurality of rays;
determining approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays, wherein the approximate ray direction data comprises a quantized direction value associated with each ray of the plurality of rays; and
sorting the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the quantized direction value for each ray comprises first data indicating a side of a volume intersected by the ray and second data comprising quantized intersection coordinates of an intersection between the ray and the side of the volume.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein sorting further comprises:
grouping the plurality of rays into the plurality of ray queues based on a combination of the quantized direction value and a shader record key associated with the ray.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
initially attempting to match a ray with a ray queue using both the quantized ray direction value and the shader record key; and
attempting to match the ray with a ray queue using only the shader record key only when a match is not found.
13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
attempting to allocate a new ray queue containing the ray when a match is not found using the both the quantized ray direction value and the shader record key.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein attempting to match the ray with a ray queue using only the shader record key is performed only after determining that the new ray queue cannot be allocated.
15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
dispatching the plurality of rays in groups defined by the ray queues in which the rays are stored.
16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
traversing one or more of the plurality of rays through a bounding volume hierarchy; and
determining intersections between one or more of the plurality of rays and one or more objects in a scene.
17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of:
generating a plurality of rays;
determining approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays, wherein the approximate ray direction data comprises a quantized direction value associated with each ray of the plurality of rays; and
sorting the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.
18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the quantized direction value for each ray comprises first data indicating a side of a volume intersected by the ray and second data comprising quantized intersection coordinates of an intersection between the ray and the side of the volume.
19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein sorting further comprises:
grouping the plurality of rays into the plurality of ray queues based on a combination of the quantized direction value and a shader record key associated with the ray.
20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19 further comprising program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of:
initially attempting to match a ray with a ray queue using both the quantized ray direction value and the shader record key; and
attempting to match the ray with a ray queue using only the shader record key only when a match is not found.
21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 20 further comprising:
attempting to allocate a new ray queue containing the ray when a match is not found using the both the quantized ray direction value and the shader record key.
22. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21 wherein attempting to match the ray with a ray queue using only the shader record key is performed only after determining that the new ray queue cannot be allocated.
23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of:
dispatching the plurality of rays in groups defined by the ray queues in which the rays are stored.
24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of:
traversing one or more of the plurality of rays through a bounding volume hierarchy; and
determining intersections between one or more of the plurality of rays and one or more objects in a scene.