A Parallel Computer for Ray Tracing
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{'SignBlockName': 'Roland T. Tibbetts', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Ray tracing has long been recognized for its quality and                        flexibility in visualizing three dimensional data.  To date, the                single factor which has been limited the algorithm's use is its                 computational complexity.  In an effort to overcome this problem                an application specific parallel computer is proposed.  This                    architecture is based upon a ray partitioning approach, in                      contrast to previous spatial partitioning approahces.  It employs               a multitude of processing elements, each with access to a global                shared memory.  To reduce the bandwidth requirements between                    individual processors and this shared memory the need for an                    efficient private cache arises.  We suggest that the design of a                cache specialized for accessing ray tracer databases is the                     single most important factor in the practical realization of the                ray partitioning approach.                                                                                                                                      The objective of this research is to determine the ray allocation               scheme, the internal database structure, and the appropriate                    cache parameters which provide hit rates high enough to support                 the number of processors required for real-time ray tracing                     performance.  Special attention will also be paid to load                       balancing and practical VLSI implementation.
{'FirstName': 'Leonard', 'LastName': 'McMillan', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Leonard McMillan', 'EmailAddress': 'mcmillan@cs.unc.edu', 'PI_PHON': '9199621778', 'NSF_ID': '000253424', 'StartDate': '01/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Radiant Graphics', 'CityName': 'Red Bank', 'ZipCode': '077012367', 'PhoneNumber': '2015305159', 'StreetAddress': '229 River Road', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'New Jersey', 'StateCode': 'NJ', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '04', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'NJ04', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': None, 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': None, 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '5371', 'Text': 'SBIR Phase I'}
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