Title
Rethinking graphics and gaming courses because of fast ray tracing
Abstract
Almost all current games are implemented using the graphics processing units (GPUs) found on almost every PC. These GPUs use the z-buffer algorithm to do visibility calculations. Ray tracing, an alternative to the z-buffer algorithm, delivers higher visual quality than the z-buffer algorithm but has historically been too slow for interactive use. However, ray tracing has benefitted from improvements in computer hardware, and many believe it will replace the z-buffer algorithm as the visibility engine in games. If that replacement happens, it will imply fundamental changes in both the API to and capabilities of 3D graphics engines. This paper discusses the implications for games and graphics oriented classes should this switch to ray tracing occur.
Year
DOI
Venue
2007
10.1145/1282040.1282056
SIGGRAPH Educators Program
Field
DocType
Citations 
Graphics,Video game graphics,Computer vision,3D computer graphics,Visibility,Computer graphics (images),Ray tracing (graphics),Computer science,Graphics software,Artificial intelligence,Real-time computer graphics,Computer graphics
Conference
3
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.42
21
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Peter Shirley14732426.39
Kelvin Sung210812.97
Erik Brunvand350966.09
Alan Davis430.76
Steven G. Parker51323116.91
Solomon Boulos653428.84