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Abstract:
Ray tracing has long been a method of choice for off-line
rendering, but traditionally was too slow for interactive
use. With faster hardware and algorithmic improvements this
has recently changed, and real-time ray tracing is finally
within reach. However, real-time capability also opens up
new problems that do not exist in an off-line environment.
In particular real-time ray tracing offers the opportunity
to interactively ray trace moving/animated scene content.
This presents a challenge to the data structures that have
been developed for ray tracing over the past few decades.
Spatial data structures crucial for fast ray tracing must be
rebuilt or updated as the scene changes, and this can become
a bottleneck for the speed of ray tracing.
This bottleneck has received much recent attention by
researchers that has resulted in a multitude of different
algorithms, data structures, and strategies for handling
animated scenes. The effectiveness of techniques for ray
tracing dynamic scenes vary dramatically depending on
details such as scene complexity, model structure, type of
motion, and the coherency of the rays. Consequently, there
is so far no approach that is best in all cases, and
determining the best technique for a particular problem can
be a challenge. In this STAR, we aim to survey the different
approaches to ray tracing animated scenes, discussing their
strengths and weaknesses, and their relationship to other
approaches. The overall goal is to help the reader choose
the best approach depending on the situation, and to expose
promising areas where there is potential for algorithmic
improvements.
