Adaptive undersampling for efficient mobile ray tracing

Aiming to develop an efficient ray tracer for a mobile platform, we present an adaptive undersampling method that enhances the rendering speed by effectively replacing expensive ray-tracing operations with cheap interpolation whenever possible. Our method explores both object- and image-space information gathered during ray tracing to detect possibly problematic pixels. Rays are fired only for these pixels. We also present a postcorrection algorithm that minimizes annoying artifacts inevitably caused by undersampling. Our implementation on a mobile GPU demonstrates that this method can speed up the rendering computation significantly, while retaining almost the same visual quality of the rendering.     

Robust Image Denoising Using a Virtual Flash Image for Monte Carlo Ray Tracing

We propose an efficient and robust image‐space denoising method for noisy images generated by Monte Carlo ray tracing methods. Our method is based on two new concepts: virtual flash images and homogeneous pixels. Inspired by recent developments in flash photography, virtual flash images emulate photographs taken with a flash, to capture various features of rendered images without taking additional samples. Using a virtual flash image as an edge‐stopping function, our method can preserve image features that were not captured well only by existing edge‐stopping functions such as normals and depth values. While denoising each pixel, we consider only homogeneous pixels—pixels that are statistically equivalent to each other. This makes it possible to define a stochastic error bound of our method, and this bound goes to zero as the number of ray samples goes to infinity, irrespective of denoising parameters. To highlight the benefits of our method, we apply our method to two Monte Carlo ray tracing methods, photon mapping and path tracing, with various input scenes. We demonstrate that using virtual flash images and homogeneous pixels with a standard denoising method outperforms state‐of‐the‐art image‐space denoising methods.     

Ray tracing CSG trees using the Sticks representation scheme

A fast ray tracing algorithm of CSG tree is presented. The algorithm uses an adaptive space subdivisions approach, based on the conversion of the objects of the scene into the volumetric Sticks representation scheme. This conversion scheme, which requires O(kn²) memory space to represent data in a n³ grid, makes it possible either to obtain very fast low-quality frontal orthographic projections, or to produce a high-quality rendering of the scene in time less than that needed by classical ray tracing and nearly independent of the number of objects in the scene. Furthermore, the characteristics of the Sticks scheme can be exploited to compute geometric or topological properties of the represented objects. Comparative analyses between the Sticks representation scheme and classical space subdivision schemes and between our Sticksbased ray tracing and classical algorithms are presented.     

Adaptive Supersampling in Object Space Using Pyramidal Rays

We introduce a new approach to three important problems in ray tracing: antialiasing, distributed light sources, and fuzzy reflections of lights and other surfaces. For antialiasing, our approach combines the quality of supersampling with the advantages of adaptive supersampling. In adaptive supersampling, the decision to partition a ray is taken in image-space , which means that small or thin objects may be missed entirely. This is particularly problematic in animation, where the intensity of such objects may appear to vary. Our approach is based on considering pyramidal rays (pyrays) formed by the viewpoint and the pixel. We test the proximity of a pyray to the boundary of an object, and if it is close (or marginal), the pyray splits into 4 sub-pyrays; this continues recursively with each marginal sub-pyray until the estimated change in pixel intensity is sufficiently small.
The same idea also solves the problem of soft shadows from distributed light sources, which can be calculated to any required precision. Our approach also enables a method of defocusing reflected pyrays, thereby producing realistic fuzzy reflections of light sources and other objects. An interesting byproduct of our method is a substantial speedup over regular supersampling even when all pixels are supersampled. Our algorithm was implemented on polygonal and circular objects, and produced images comparable in quality to stochastic sampling, but with greatly reduced run times.     

Spacetime ray tracing for animation

Techniques for the efficient ray tracing of animated scenes are presented. They are based on two central concepts: spacetime ray tracing, and a hybrid adaptive space subdivision/boundary volume technique for generating efficient, nonoverlapping hierarchies of bounding volumes. In spacetime ray tracing, static objects are rendered in 4-D space-time using 4-D analogs to 3-D techniques. The bounding volume hierarchy combines elements of adaptive space subdivision and bounding volume techniques. The quality of hierarchy and its nonoverlapping character make it an improvement over previous algorithms, because both attributes reduce the number of ray/object intersections that must be computed. These savings are amplified in animation because of the much higher cost of computing ray/object intersections for motion-blurred animation. It is shown that it is possible to ray trace large animations more quickly with space-time ray tracing using this hierarchy than with straightforward frame-by-frame rendering     

Generating exact ray-traced animation frames by reprojection

Reprojection techniques can create approximate ray traced animation frames. Extending an existing algorithm yields exact frames and full ray tracing, with up to 92 percent savings in rendering time. We present an algorithm that exploits spatiotemporal coherence between frames to significantly decrease the rendering time of ray traced animations. This method produces inferred ray traced images of any scene that can be ray traced using a point sampled method. The images created by the algorithm are not approximated frames created from weighted averages of other frames, nor are they frames patched together from near frame pixel values. The algorithm guarantees that a color seen in a subpixel would be returned by a ray passing somewhere through that subpixel, but not necessarily though the center. This algorithm efficiently creates frames of any view that can be ray traced. While the savings increase with the complexity of the rendered objects and the preponderance of diffuse objects, significant savings occur with reflective and refractive objects. However, the technique requires the ray tracing method to be point sample oriented     

Parallel processing of incremental ray tracing on a shared-memory multiprocessor

This paper presents a novel parallel-processing method for image synthesis using incremental ray tracing on a shared-memory multiprocessor workstation. The most efficient technique for image synthesis is ray tracing, proposed by Whitted in 1980. Ray-tracing algorithms are simple and can generate realistic images. However, they are time-consuming, since calculations of the intersections between objects and ray increase exponentially as the complexity of scenes increases. Fast image synthesis for animation is one of the most important topics in computer graphics. As the area of computer applications has broadened, the complexity of images to be synthesized has increased. Parallel processing of computer graphics is one way of achieving fast image synthesis. This paper describes a parallel processing technique for incremental ray tracing, which recalculates only the rays changed by moving objects in successive scenes of continuous image synthesis. The performance of parallel ray tracing was evaluated on the multiprocessor workstation TOP-1. Strategies for allocating pixels to processes under a multiprocess operating system on this workstation are discussed.     

Interactive Glossy Reflections using GPU‐based Ray Tracing with Adaptive LOD

We present an interactive GPU‐based algorithm for accurately rendering high‐quality, dynamic glossy reflection effects from both HDR environment maps and local scene objects. Our method uses hardware rasterization to produce primary pixels, and GPU‐based BRDF importance sampling [ [CK07] ] to quickly generate reflected rays. We utilize a fast GPU ray tracer proposed by Carr et al. [ [CHCH06] ] to compute reflection hits. Our main contribution is an adaptive level‐of‐detail (LOD) control algorithm that greatly improves ray tracing performance during reflection shading. Specifically, we use the solid angle represented by each reflected ray to adaptively pick the level of termination in the BVH traversal step during ray tracing. This leads to 2 ～ 3x speedup over an unmodified implementation of [ [CHCH06] ]. Based on the same solid angle measure, we derive a texture filtering formula to reduce reflection aliasing artifacts, taking advantage of hardware MIP mapping. This extends the filtering algorithm presented in [ [CK07] ] from environment mapping to local scene reflection. Using our algorithm, we demonstrate interactive rendering rates for several scenes featuring dynamic lighting and material changes, spatially varying BRDF parameters, and rigid‐body object movement.     

Real‐time Depth of Field Rendering via Dynamic Light Field Generation and Filtering

We present a new algorithm for efficient rendering of high‐quality depth‐of‐field (DoF) effects. We start with a single rasterized view (reference view) of the scene, and sample the light field by warping the reference view to nearby views. We implement the algorithm using NVIDIA's CUDA to achieve parallel processing, and exploit the atomic operations to resolve visibility when multiple pixels warp to the same image location. We then directly synthesize DoF effects from the sampled light field. To reduce aliasing artifacts, we propose an image‐space filtering technique that compensates for spatial undersampling using MIP mapping. The main advantages of our algorithm are its simplicity and generality. We demonstrate interactive rendering of DoF effects in several complex scenes. Compared to existing methods, ours does not require ray tracing and hence scales well with scene complexity.     

Parallel implementation of a ray tracing algorithm for distributed memory parallel computers

Ray tracing is a well known technique to generate life-like images. Unfortunately, ray tracing complex scenes can require large amounts of CPU time and memory storage. Distributed memory parallel computers with large memory capacities and high processing speeds are ideal candidates to perform ray tracing. However, the computational cost of rendering pixels and patterns of data access cannot be predicted until runtime. To parallelize such an application efficiently on distributed memory parallel computers, the issues of database distribution, dynamic data management and dynamic load balancing must be addressed. In this paper, we present a parallel implementation of a ray tracing algorithm on the Intel Delta parallel computer. In our database distribution, a small fraction of database is duplicated on each processor, while the remaining part is evenly distributed among groups of processors. In the system, there are multiple copies of the entire database in the memory of groups of processors. Dynamic data management is acheived by an ALRU cache scheme which can exploit image coherence to reduce data movements in ray tracing consecutive pixels. We balance load among processors by distributing subimages to processors in a global fashion based on previous workload requests. The success of our implementation depends crucially on a number of parameters which are experimentally evaluated. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Segmentation of remotely-sensed images by a split-and-merge process+

Abstract

This paper describes the application of an image segmentation technique to remotely-sensed terrain images used for environmental monitoring. The segmentation is a preprocessing operation which is applied prior to image classification in order to improve classification accuracy from that achievable by classifying pixels individually on the basis of their spectral signatures. The method uses a split-and-merge technique to segment images into regions of homogeneous tone and texture wherever this is possible. The split-and-merge technique employs a hierarchical quadtree data structure. Texture is measured using easily computed grey value difference statistics. The homogeneity criteria employed in region merging are dependent on local statistics. The segmented image is classified using a region classifier for regions and the normal per-pixel classifier for single pixels in areas of inhomogeneity. The technique is illustrated by example classifications of aerial Multispectral Scanner data from two test sites. A quantitative analysis of the performance shows that an increased classification accuracy is achieved.     

Image‐object detectable in multiscale analysis on high‐resolution remotely sensed imagery

Landscapes are complex systems composed of a large number of heterogeneous components as well as explicit homogeneous regions that have similar spectral character on high‐resolution remote sensing imagery. The multiscale analysis method is considered an effective way to study the remotely sensed images of complex landscape systems. However, there remain some difficulties in identifying perfect image‐objects that tally with the actual ground‐object figures from their hierarchical presentation results. Therefore, to overcome the shortcomings in applications of multiresolution segmentation, some concepts and a four‐step approach are introduced for homogeneous image‐object detection. The spectral mean distance and standard deviation of neighbouring object candidates are used to distinguish between two adjacent candidates in one segmentation. The distinguishing value is used in composing the distinctive feature curve (DFC) with object candidate evolution in a multiresolution segmentation procedure. The scale order of pixels is built up by calculating a series of conditional relative extrema of each curve based on the class separability measure. This is helpful in determining the various optimal scales for diverse ground‐objects in image segmentation and the potential meaningful image‐objects fitting the intrinsic scale of the dominant landscape objects. Finally, the feasibility is analysed on the assumption that the homogeneous regions obey a Gaussian distribution. Satisfactory results were obtained in applications to high‐resolution remote sensing imageries of anthropo‐directed areas.     

Special relativistic visualization by local ray tracing

Special relativistic visualization offers the possibility of experiencing the optical effects of traveling near the speed of light, including apparent geometric distortions as well as Doppler and searchlight effects. Early high-quality computer graphics images of relativistic scenes were created using offline, computationally expensive CPU-side 4D ray tracing. Alternate approaches such as image-based rendering and polygon-distortion methods are able to achieve interactivity, but exhibit inferior visual quality due to sampling artifacts. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid rendering technique based on polygon distortion and local ray tracing that facilitates interactive high-quality visualization of multiple objects moving at relativistic speeds in arbitrary directions. The method starts by calculating tight image-space footprints for the apparent triangles of the 3D scene objects. The final image is generated using a single image-space ray tracing step incorporating Doppler and searchlight effects. Our implementation uses GPU shader programming and hardware texture filtering to achieve high rendering speed.     

Optimised CSG Tree Evaluation for Space Subdivision

Ray tracing is a well known technique for producing realistic computer images. The computational requirements of this method are such that optimisation techniques, for example space subdivision, must be used if complex scenes are to be rendered in reasonable times. Constructive solid geometry (CSG) is a method for describing the geometry of complex scenes by applying set operations to primitive objects. The status tree approach has been used successfully within ray tracing to evaluate CSG structures. This paper proposes a combination of the status tree and space subdivision techniques as a means to improve further the efficiency of ray tracing.     

一种基于自适应闭值的图像伪造检测算法

图像伪造检测是数字取证领域一个发展迅速的研究方向。复制一移动是最常见的图像伪造方式之一,其目的是通过隐藏或克隆对象来创建新的图像内容场景。复制一移动伪造检测的主要依据是图像中存在较大面积的相同或非常相似的区域对。针对以往检测方法对图像中存在同质纹理或均匀区域检测困难以及相关参数阂值选择不确定等现状,提出一种基于自适应阂值的图像复制一移动伪造检测算法,该算法不但使相关阂值的选择和估计更合理,而且能够自动识别和定位伪造区域。通过在包含同质或均匀区域的彩色伪造图像中的实验,进一步验证了本算法的有效性。     

Efficient region-based motion segmentation for a video monitoring system

This paper presents an efficient region-based motion segmentation method for segmentation of moving objects in a traffic scene with a focus on a video monitoring system (VMS). The presented method consists of two phases: first, in the motion detection phase, the positions of moving objects in a scene are determined using an adaptive thresholding method. To detect varying regions by moving objects, instead of determining the threshold value manually, we use an adaptive thresholding method to automatically choose the threshold value. Second, in the motion segmentation phase, pixels that have similar intensity and motion information are segmented using a weighted k-means clustering algorithm to the binary region of the motion mask obtained in the motion detection. In this way, we need not process a whole image so computation time is reduced. Experimental results demonstrate robustness not only in the variation of luminance conditions and changes in environmental conditions, but also for occlusions among multiple moving objects.     

Perceptually Guided Corrective Splatting

One of the basic difficulties with interactive walkthroughs is the high quality rendering of object surfaces with non-diffuse light scattering characteristics. Since full ray tracing at interactive rates is usually impossible, we render a precomputed global illumination solution using graphics hardware and use remaining computational power to correct the appearance of non-diffuse objects on-the-fly. The question arises, how to obtain the best image quality as perceived by a human observer within a limited amount of time for each frame. We address this problem by enforcing corrective computation for those non-diffuse objects that are selected using a computational model of visual attention. We consider both the saliency- and task-driven selection of those objects and benefit from the fact that shading artifacts of "unattended" objects are likely to remain unnoticed. We use a hierarchical image-space sampling scheme to control ray tracing and splat the generated point samples. The resulting image converges progressively to a ray traced solution if the viewing parameters remain unchanged. Moreover, we use a sample cache to enhance visual appearance if the time budget for correction has been too low for some frame. We check the validity of the cached samples using a novel criterion suited for non-diffuse surfaces and reproject valid samples into the current view.     

Visible Light and X-Ray Ray Tracing of Generalized Cylinders

A new algorithm for ray tracing generalized cylinders whose axis is an arbitrary three-dimensional space curve and whose cross-sectional contour can be varied according to a general sweeping rule is presented. The main restriction placed on the class of generalized cylinders that can be ray-traced is that the sweeping rule of the generalized cylinder must be invertible. This algorithm handles a broader class of generalized cylinders than any other reported ray tracer. It has been integrated into a general geometric modeling system that can render objects utilizing visible light as well as simulated X rays. Generalized cylinders are often used in modeling systems because they compactly represent objects. Many commonly occurring objects including snakes, horses, airplanes, flower vases, and organs of the human abdomen such as the stomach and liver can be described naturally and conveniently in terms of one or more generalized cylinder primitives. By extending the class of generalized cylinders that can be conveniently modeled, the presented algorithm enhances the utility of modeling systems based on generalized cylinders. X-ray images of the internal bone structure of a knee joint and a visible light image of a fan blade assembly are presented.     

Adaptive-neighborhood histogram equalization for image enhancement

By modifying the histogram of an image, a dramatic improvement in the perceptibility of details can often be achieved. However, the two commonly used methods of full-frame histogram equalization and local-area histogram equalization often fail to produce adequate enhancement when the image contains relatively small but variable-sized regions in which there are objects or features of interest with low visual contrast. A new method of adaptive-neighborhood histogram equalization that is effective in enhancing these types of images is proposed in this paper. In this method, an adaptive neighborhood is developed for each pixel in the image. The adaptive neighborhood is a compound region made up of a foreground that contains 8-connected pixels close in gray level to that of the seed pixel, and a background of neighboring pixels molded around the foreground. The histogram of this adaptive neighborhood is equalized to provide the transformation that is applied to the seed pixel. Major advantages of this method are the avoidance of block edge artifacts that are encountered in local-area histogram equalization, and improved perceptibility of image detail. Examples of images transformed using the three methods of histogram modification are presented along with a discussion of the merits of the adaptive-neighborhood method.     

An Eyeglass Simulator Using Conoid Tracing

This paper proposes a method for displaying images at the fovea of the retina taking visual acuity into account. Previous research has shown that a point light source projected onto the retina forms an ellipse, which can be computed with wavefront tracing from each point in space. We propose a novel concept using conoid tracing, with which we can acquire defocusing information several times faster than that acquired by previous methods. We also show that conoid tracing is more robust and produces higher quality results. In conoid tracing the ray is regarded as a conoid, a thin cone‐like shape with varying elliptical cross‐section. The viewing ray from the retina is traced as a conoid and evaluated at each sample location. Using the sampled and pre‐computed data for the spatial distribution of blurring, we implemented an interactive eyeglass simulator. This paper demonstrates some visualization results utilizing the interactivity of the simulator, which an eyeglass lens design company uses to evaluate the design of complex progressive lenses.