Gribble, ChristiaanElmar Eisemann and Eugene Fiume2016-06-172016-06-172016978-3-03868-019-21727-3463https://doi.org/10.2312/sre.20161213We introduce node culling multi-hit BVH traversal to enable faster multi-hit ray tracing in a bounding volume hierarchy (BVH). Existing, widely used ray tracing engines expose API features that enable implementation of multi-hit traversal without modifying their underlying-and highly optimized-BVH construction and traversal routines; however, this approach requires naive multi-hit traversal to guarantee correctness. We evaluate two low-overhead, minimally invasive, and flexible API mechanisms that enable node culling implementation entirely with user-level code, thereby leveraging existing BVH construction and traversal routines. Results show that node culling offers potentially significant improvement in multi-hit performance in a BVH for cases in which users request fewer-than-all hits.Computer Graphics [I.3.7]Three Dimensional Graphics and RealismRaytracingComputer Graphics [I.3.7]Three Dimensional Graphics and RealismVisible line/surface algorithms10.2312/sre.2016121385-90