Real-time Ray tracing and Editing of Large Voxel Scenes

Abstract

A novel approach is presented to render large voxel scenes in real-time. The approach differs from existing solutions in that a large emphasis is put on allowing the user to edit and stream large datasets. Previous solutions often use compression schemes involving hierarchical data layouts such as sparse voxel octrees that require some form of preprocessing, which prevents efficient editing. By keeping data in raw format we avoid having to preprocess the data making it directly editable. We allow for efficient storage of large empty spaces using a system of layered grids . Our results show our solution has competitive rendering performance and memory usage and allows fast and easy access to the data. Along with the raytracing algorithm and datastructure an occlusion based streaming system is presented. Our system also includes an easy interface for editing voxels. Furthermore, we support streaming from disk and basic level of detail. Combining these features we are able to render and edit potentially infinite landscapes while using a finite amount of memory.