Collision Detection Hardware Optimised for Ray-Tracers

Abstract

Collision detection is the process of determining whether objects in a computer-simulated environment are intersecting. It is vital for a range of diverse applications. However, despite numerous developments, it is often challenging to perform accurate collision detection at interactive rates. To overcome this challenge, we propose a radical departure from the state of the art: a custom broad phase collision detection microarchitecture combined with software to achieve execution speeds greater than those attainable using software alone. The integration of this microarchitecture into a ray-tracer is also investigated.