NVIDIA has released an update to their open source RTX Path Tracing (RTXPT) reference software to version 1.9.0, bringing a noticeable performance improvement for developers working on real-time ray tracing capabilities. This update is significant as it offers developers a lower computational load for simulating complex lighting, which can speed up iterations in achieving higher visual quality in games without compromising performance. The update comes in response to the increasing need for accelerated path tracing capabilities in modern game engines.
Update adds ARM64 support and doubles light source capacity
The main changes to the RTX Path Tracing software stack, which is a reference implementation of NVIDIA's graphics features, bring explicit Windows ARM64 support to RTXPT version 1.9.0, adding platform versatility beyond just the traditional x86 systems. This points towards NVIDIA's strategy of making their development tools more accessible across different hardware environments. This could hint at potential uses with their own RTX Spark hardware, although there are no explicit hardware references mentioned in the release notes.
Specifically, the new version of the RTXPT software is roughly 20% faster compared to the previous 1.8.1 version. The software now supports tracing 3/4, 1/2, or 1/4 of the pixels per frame for more flexible pixel trace quality/speed adjustments. The NEE-AT light sampling ability has increased from 512,000 to 2 million light sources, supporting more complex lighting setups. The SHaRC radiance cache is now enabled by default for real-time mode, improving stability.
CMake 4.1 is now needed to build the software, indicating updates in the build system requirements for those contributing. They've also added async compute overlap for DLSS Ray Reconstruction in DX12. This helps to improve the integration of the path tracer and upscaling technologies. There are no specific game developers that NVIDIA has mentioned for RTXPT integration at this time, but the improvements make it easier for developers to consider integrating path tracing into their games without major performance concerns.
This update effectively provides an optimized foundation for RTX path tracing development on Windows platforms. The increased flexibility in pixel trace counts, more light source availability, and updated build requirements make version 1.9.0 a notable advancement for developers looking to develop for future graphics engines.
Discussion
0 comments
Log in to join the thread with a thoughtful take, question, or correction.