A novel parallel processing algorithm for image synthesis using ray tracing is presented. The scene is first organized in a hierarchical data structure which is then cut at some level. The object descriptions along with their bounding volumes are distributed accordingly among the processors of an MIMD system. There are two independent processes in each processor: one is demand driven and used for bounding volumes calculations while the second is data driven and used for intersection calculations. This scheme, where the first process can be executed by any processor, suggested an algorithm with an embedded load balancing mechanism. It has almost a linear speedup and its storage requirements are small. Simulation results are presented to illustrate these features.
The time complexity of ray tracing is a function of the data structures used for space division. Octree and hierarchical extents have been suggested as effective choices. In this paper, complexity parameters are suggested to characterize images and show that both octrees and hierarchies are appropriate choices if given most favorable images. Also, a unified technique is proposed and shown to be better than previous methods for all images. Octrees and hierarchies are particular cases of the new proposed algorithm.
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