Beyond BSP

[Xittenn]

Binary Space Partioning or BSP, for those who don't know, is a readily used method for creating walls and other such objects within a 3D gaming engine or it is also used in Computer Aided Design(CAD). BSP is a fast and effective space partition that does not require much processing time during rendering. It is good for primitive shapes but can become unstable as shape angles begin to decrease to a sharp point or geometry becomes to complex.

 

I opened this thread to inquire on other methods for accomplishing this task. I am interested in methods that may even say be slightly more consuming of processor time with the benefit of creating more complex shapes.

 

I am familiar with the most common types of primitive modeling techniques currently used including Spline/Nurb Surfaces, Polygonal/Mesh Surfaces and Subdivision Surfaces. There are others and I may be overlooking an obvious choice.

 

-daPincess

[bascule]

Game development bores me, although I enjoy playing them

[Xittenn]

I might rephrase this one as a math question in 'the future.'

[CaptainPanic]

I believe that ray tracing is regarded as a possible future option for rendering. It has some benefits over other methods (for example: reflections and shadows are relatively easy).

 

I only have some minor experience with this. I am not able to say whether any games are actually being developed using ray tracing at this moment.

[bascule]

Ray tracing is conceptually simple but devilishly difficult to optimize

[Xittenn]

I believe that ray tracing is regarded as a possible future option for rendering. It has some benefits over other methods (for example: reflections and shadows are relatively easy).

 

I only have some minor experience with this. I am not able to say whether any games are actually being developed using ray tracing at this moment.

 

The answer is yes, there are currently game engines which employ Ray Tracing and there have been for a while! It is however not a replacement for BSP. BSP is a format used to create geometry where as Ray Tracing is used to enhance the fundamental forms of lighting. Ray Tracing does serve other functions such as target acquisition.

 

Thanks for the reply Capt. Panic......

[bascule]

The answer is yes, there are currently game engines which employ Ray Tracing and there have been for a while!

 

Can you name a mainstream game which uses a ray tracing engine?

 

Ray tracing is typically used for ahead-of-time rendering of 3D scenes such as in software like RenderMan, although even RenderMan doesn't use ray tracing as its primary 3D rendering algorithm (but instead uses Reyes)

 

Ray tracing is not, to my knowledge, used in any mainstream realtime 3D rendering applications, simply because it's too slow to be used effectively.

---

Merged post follows:

Consecutive posts merged

I opened this thread to inquire on other methods for accomplishing this task.

 

You might look at quadtrees and octrees, although they're really just variations on the same theme.

[Xittenn]

Well........................

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/68545/Quake_4_run_Ray-tracing_Enabled_on_Intel_Larrabee.html

 

 

 

http://www.realstorm.com/

 

http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/04/caustic-graphics-launches-real-time-ray-tracing-platform.ars

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1il2zVo0ci0

 

 

http://www.laserpirate.com/as3raytracer/

 

I never said there are mainstream games which use Ray Tracing. I did say there are game engines with Ray Tracing and there have been for some time!

Edited June 30, 2009 by buttacup

[bascule]

I never said there are mainstream games which use Ray Tracing. I did say there are game engines with Ray Tracing and there have been for some time!

 

I don't know if I'd call any of those "game engines" so much as "tech demos"

[Xittenn]

You can tech demo a game engine...........and Quake 4 engine actually still has the option left in code.........regardless....

 

a) it's well on the way

 

and

 

b)it has absolutely nothing to do with finding an alternative format to BSP......

 

I'll add the option to render real time ray tracing in my engine and I'll mail you the tech demo.......the best I can do for now.......

[bascule]

You can tech demo a game engine...........and Quake 4 engine actually still has the option left in code.........regardless....

 

a) it's well on the way

 

I don't know about that. I think the future of realtime 3D rendering will just be an evolution of existing approaches (and I could see realtime Reyes)

 

Raytracing offers few advantages other than the implementation is comparatively simple.

 

b)it has absolutely nothing to do with finding an alternative format to BSP......

 

I already answered that...

 

You might look at quadtrees and octrees, although they're really just variations on the same theme.

[Xittenn]

-Voxel(Refined to Octree, Quadtree??? Relationship to Subdivision Surfaces....)

 

-CSG(not exactly sure about all the distinguishing points between CSG and BSP as they seem to be somewhat intertwined in game editors; more prcisely what is CSG a mathematical representation or just a term used to say join stuff together?)

 

-Pore Space Partitioning Based on Morphological Skeletonization(I don't know, it sounds inspirational)

 

oh and

 

-Radiosity(Real Time)

 

as a routinely used method for calculating diffuse lighting

Edited July 1, 2009 by buttacup