A Parallel Computer for Ray Tracing

光线跟踪长期以来因其质量和 三维数据可视化的灵活性。 迄今为止 限制算法使用的单一因素是其 计算复杂度 为了克服这个问题 提出了一种专用并行计算机。 这 架构基于光线分区方法， 与以前的空间划分方法形成对比。 它采用 多个处理元件，每个都可以访问全局 共享记忆 为了降低带宽要求， 单独的处理器和这个共享的内存需要一个 出现了有效的私有高速缓存。 我们建议， 专门用于访问光线跟踪器数据库的缓存是 实际实现《公约》的一个最重要的因素 光线分割法 本研究的目的是确定射线分配 方案、内部数据库结构和适当的 高速缓存参数提供足够高的命中率， 实时光线跟踪所需的处理器数量 性能 还将特别注意负载 平衡和实际的VLSI实现。

Ray tracing has long been recognized for its quality and flexibility in visualizing three dimensional data. To date, the single factor which has been limited the algorithm's use is its computational complexity. In an effort to overcome this problem an application specific parallel computer is proposed. This architecture is based upon a ray partitioning approach, in contrast to previous spatial partitioning approahces. It employs a multitude of processing elements, each with access to a global shared memory. To reduce the bandwidth requirements between individual processors and this shared memory the need for an efficient private cache arises. We suggest that the design of a cache specialized for accessing ray tracer databases is the single most important factor in the practical realization of the ray partitioning approach. The objective of this research is to determine the ray allocation scheme, the internal database structure, and the appropriate cache parameters which provide hit rates high enough to support the number of processors required for real-time ray tracing performance. Special attention will also be paid to load balancing and practical VLSI implementation.