GPU Gems: Programming Techniques, Tips and Tricks for Real-Time Graphics

Chapter 15. Managing Visibility for Per-Pixel Lighting

John O’Rorke Monolith Productions

Visibility in a GPU Book?

This chapter looks at the role that visibility plays in efficiently rendering per-pixel lit scenes. We also consider how to use that visibility to minimize the number of batches that must be rendered, so that we can improve performance.

At first glance, you may think that visibility has no place in a book about the advanced use of graphics hardware. Yet, regardless of how many tricks and optimizations we use on the GPU, the fastest polygon will always be the one that isn’t rendered. That means if we reduce the number of rendered batches, we can add more objects to a scene, or use more complex geometry and techniques for other objects. ...