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baking details onto low poly models—to maximize computational efficiency.[20] (Fig. 1.3.14 - 15) These steps greatly reduce unnecessary calculations, which allows game engines to render in real-time. The downside to this workaround however is the reduced detail within the scene such that it only approximates of the scene. As such, the resulting renderings still lack a level of realism compared to traditional ray tracing methods that calculate the scene “correctly.”
However, with advancements in both hardware and software, along with pipelines that are utilizing Physically Based Rendering (PBR)[21] and linear space lighting,[22] Photogrammetry,[23] and even GPU-based real time ray tracing,[24] it is possible to obtain results approaching that of traditional ray tracing. As technology continues to progress, the differences between these two rendering methods are lessening, leaving only the benefits of these game engines without the shortcomings. As such, this aspect of gaming engines will become increasingly useful as their rendering quality begins to catch up with traditional rendering engines—even more so for architectural visualization as they do not need to be as strict on performance requirements as games do, and thus will have more flexibility in pushing the boundaries of utilizing the game engine as a simulation tool.
20 “Optimizing Graphics Performance,” Unity, accessed October 17, 2019, https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/OptimizingGraphicsPerformance.html.
21 “Physically Based Materials,” Unreal Engine Documentation, accessed October 17, 2019, https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Rendering/Materials/PhysicallyBased/index.html.
22 “The PBR Guide - Part 1,” Substance Academy, accessed October 17, 2019, https://academy.substance3d.com/courses/the-pbr-guide-part-1.
23 Sébastien Lachambre, Sébastien Lagarde, and Cyril Jover, Photogrammetry Workflow, 2017, accessed October 17, 2019, https://unity3d.com/files/solutions/photogrammetry/Unity-Photogrammetry-Workflow_2017-07_v2.pdf.
24 David Cardinal, “How Nvidia’s RTX Real-Time Ray Tracing Works,” ExtremeTech, August 21, 2018, accessed October 17, 2019, https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/266600-nvidias-rtx-promises-real-time-ray-tracing.
Ray tracing
By Henrik, “File:Ray trace diagram.svg,” This Diagram Illustrates the Ray Tracing Algorithm for Rendering an Image, April 12, 2008, Wikimedia Commons, accessed December 19, 2019, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ray_trace_diagram.svg.
Rasterization
From “Rasterization: A Practical Implementation,” Scratchapixel, accessed December 19, 2019, https://www.scratchapixel.com//lessons/3d-basic-rendering/rasterization-practical-implementation.
