Monday, March 25th 2024
Microsoft Patents Resource-Based Ray Tracing, Promises Less Strain on GPU VRAM
Microsoft has filed for a new and even potentially groundbreaking patent that could transform the way ray tracing graphics are processed, especially when video memory (VRAM) is scarce. The patent proposes a technique to minimize the memory footprint of ray tracing graphics, tackling the escalating concerns about the growing memory demands for ray tracing and path tracing. The innovation outlined in Microsoft's patent employs a dynamic level of detail (LOD) approach to adaptively modify the quality of ray tracing effects based on accessible resources. The patent portrays the ray tracing pipeline as an acceleration structure that can be streamlined using this LOD system. The cornerstone of this optimization is a residency map that aligns with a bounding volume hierarchy of objects. The graphics processing system can then utilize this map to ascertain the suitable quality level for objects at any given moment. This methodology enables a more reasonable allocation of resources, guaranteeing that the most crucial objects receive the highest quality rendering. At the same time, less important elements can be rendered at lower quality to conserve memory.
Microsoft's patent could have far-reaching ramifications for the design and performance of upcoming GPUs. By implementing this novel LOD system, GPUs with more modest VRAM capacities, such as those with 8 GB, could provide ray tracing performance on par with higher-end models boasting larger memory buffers, given enough compute capacity. This advancement could pave the way for more budget-friendly GPUs that still deliver adequate ray tracing capabilities, making the technology more accessible. Moreover, the adaptive nature of the LOD system could contribute to a more reliable performance across diverse scenarios, as the GPU would be capable of adjusting to the available resources in real time. Microsoft's patent could emerge as a game-changer in the realm of GPU design and performance, and we are now waiting to see if any real-world implementations appear.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
Microsoft's patent could have far-reaching ramifications for the design and performance of upcoming GPUs. By implementing this novel LOD system, GPUs with more modest VRAM capacities, such as those with 8 GB, could provide ray tracing performance on par with higher-end models boasting larger memory buffers, given enough compute capacity. This advancement could pave the way for more budget-friendly GPUs that still deliver adequate ray tracing capabilities, making the technology more accessible. Moreover, the adaptive nature of the LOD system could contribute to a more reliable performance across diverse scenarios, as the GPU would be capable of adjusting to the available resources in real time. Microsoft's patent could emerge as a game-changer in the realm of GPU design and performance, and we are now waiting to see if any real-world implementations appear.
33 Comments on Microsoft Patents Resource-Based Ray Tracing, Promises Less Strain on GPU VRAM
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MS thrives on it, this is progress.
Much like their attempt to make upscale more universal, this is the kind of industry traction I would have expected when Huang announced his 'muh 10 gigarayz' at SIGGRAPH prior to Turing.
We both owe it, and don't owe it to Nvidia that RT is still niche. It could have been a lot more at this point, but hey, then you can't sell 3 generations worth of heavily subpar 'RT capable' GPUs can you?
This is Gsync all over again.
Patents are supposed to only be issued to original works.
In fairness though, this might help the XBox.
16Gb is the new minimum going forward, but I will put a year's pay that nGreedia will not increase VRAM with Blackwell, only in the top card, possibly.
What I do fear with this to some extend is that it will go against what makes RT so cool, like a friend was streaming Control and I noticed that the orb shaped corner from a ingame flightcase was reflecting the character in it.
That was just really cool to see, so I hope this form of culling for performance will really only affect "distant" things so this sorta fun RT stuff remains intact.
If it does talk about storage usage, it wouldn't make any sense in PCs with available system RAM to use the ssd. In PCs using the SSD is just stupid. Except if the data needing to be saved there is huge, like dozens of GBs which sounds ridiculous. In PCs the logical option would be to use the system RAM or at least create, if needed, a RAM disk and use that.
Marked differences here. Whenever my/our interests align with what MS wants, I'll speak highly of their efforts, because this company has proven that it will try its best to make it work then, and tends to succeed (in the end). I mean, DirectX is of a similar nature. They need that API to keep windows afloat for gaming. We need it to game. At the end of the day we DO have a practically free OS (yes, idiots pay the full price of admission, but 3-5 bucks gets you a builder's license, simple as that) of a pretty high quality that runs everything and does everything without crashing left and right. Similar things apply to data security. I trust my data at MS/its cloud more than I do any other cloud provider. Why? Because MS floats on trust. If it loses trust, it can kiss the enterprise goodbye faster than we can blink.
Now compare to GamePass: you're diving headfirst into the black box of manipulative practices to keep you subbed to a service. Of course it employs every trick in the filthy book of dark patterns and commerce to keep you attached. This is why you shouldn't even touch this shit with a ten foot pole. Its the same bullshit as social media. Services that have ONE goal: keep you online and logging in. Everything else is secondary. We've known this principle since World of Warcraft and we know it screws with our heads. Just don't.
nvidia surely didn't invent it. it has brought it to games in some form
If they would be so focused on sharing they would have released this as an open standard.
To keep my post on topic, 75% of the time I was subbed to gamepass, I used my MS reward points. That was about 2 years ago. They've since made it much harder to get enough points to get Gamepass for free and I have unsubbed.