OK... Fun debate time for all the family.
With poly counts going through the roof there's the theory that each poly will actually be no bigger than a pixel... So what's the point? Why not just raytrace the whole shebang.
Direct X and OGL have been cheats to get raytraced effects, pixels shaders, soft shadows, volumetric lighting etc are simply to trying to produce what raytracers have been doing for years.
Historically this was necessary, but computer power has got to a point where maybe cheating isn't necessary anymore?
CPU speeds are getting faster and faster. Multi core processors are more and more common, Multi processor motherboards are more common.
Realism in games is fast approaching 'uncanny valley'.
NVidia have aquired Ageia which suggests maybe they're branching out to prepare for the raytrace wars and when the GPU is simply hardware raytrace CPU.
Your thoughts please.
With poly counts going through the roof there's the theory that each poly will actually be no bigger than a pixel... So what's the point? Why not just raytrace the whole shebang.
Direct X and OGL have been cheats to get raytraced effects, pixels shaders, soft shadows, volumetric lighting etc are simply to trying to produce what raytracers have been doing for years.
Historically this was necessary, but computer power has got to a point where maybe cheating isn't necessary anymore?
CPU speeds are getting faster and faster. Multi core processors are more and more common, Multi processor motherboards are more common.
Realism in games is fast approaching 'uncanny valley'.
NVidia have aquired Ageia which suggests maybe they're branching out to prepare for the raytrace wars and when the GPU is simply hardware raytrace CPU.
Your thoughts please.