Streamed ray tracing system and method

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing code, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

• determine a lower bound along a primary direction for each of a plurality of objects for an image to be rendered;
• order the objects based on their lower bounds to form an ordered object list;
• determine an origin for each of a plurality of rays along the primary direction;
• order the rays based on their origins to form an ordered ray list;
• perform a ray tracing operation based on the order of the rays and objects in the ordered object list and the ordered ray list;
• and
• render the image using the results of the ray tracing operation;
• wherein performing a ray tracing operation includes:
• comparing the first entry in the ordered object list with the first entry in the ordered ray list;
• if the origin of the first entry in the ordered ray list is less than the lower bound of the first entry in the ordered object list, then adding the ray corresponding to the first entry in the ordered ray list to an active ray list, and tracing that ray against objects in an active object list;
• and
• if the origin of the first entry in the ordered ray list is greater than the lower bound of the first entry in the ordered object list, then adding the object corresponding to the first entry in the ordered object list to an active object list, and tracing rays in the active ray list against that object.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code ray tracing a scene that includes a plurality of objects, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

• code for generating an ordered object list ordering each object in the object list based on one or more aspects of the object along a primary direction;
• code for generating an ordered ray list ordering each ray in the ray list based on based on the origin of the ray along the primary direction;
• code for comparing the first entry in the ordered object list with the first entry in the ordered ray list;
• code for generating information configuring the ray corresponding to the first entry in the ordered ray list to be traced against objects in an active object list if the origin of the first entry in the ordered ray list is less than a first portion of a boundary of the first entry in the ordered object list along the primary direction in response to adding that ray to an active ray list;
• and
• code for generating information configuring rays in an active ray list to be traced against an object corresponding to the first entry in the ordered object list if the origin of the first entry in the ordered ray list is greater than the first portion of the boundary of the first entry in the ordered object list along the primary direction in response to adding that object to an active object list.