Raytracing has long been known to offer higher-fidelity and photo-realism for image generation as compared with
traditional raster graphics techniques, particularly in the modeling of multiple-reflections and refractive
effects. However, raytracing’s computationally intensive nature and traditionally CPU-bound architecture precluded
it as a solution for real-time applications for all but massively-parallel distributed processing architectures or
supercomputers – certainly not for low-cost PC-IGs. Recent advancements in GPU technology, however, such as
nVidia’s Optix engine and supporting hardware, have made raytracing increasingly viable for these applications,
with the potential to accurately and quickly predict important sensor-band phenomena such as volumetric scattering,
thermal interactions among scene elements, and coherent interference. In this presentation, JRM discusses its recent
work toward a comprehensive approach for real-time physics-based GPU raytracing, particularly as it applies to
multi-spectral signature simulation in the EO, IR and RF sensor domains.