Ambient Occlusion Processor

[Drahsid]

I got an idea while thinking of PhysX and how it used to be used by dedicated 'PhysX Processors' or PPUs way back when.

Then I was thinking of how amazing 'true' Ambient Occlusion in real time would be.

Naturally, I came up with the idea of a Ambient Occlusion Processor card (AOP?)

Wouldn't that be something cool to have?

I wish it was real.

[Guest]

The problem is that AO (unlike hardware PhysX) is used on all platforms; so Nvidia and AMD would need to agree on an AO standard, which isn't about to happen.

I like my HBAO+.

[Laederem]

cost, implementation, programming, niche market etc

 

tl;dr still easier to use available hardware

[Guest Kloaked]

Nvidia already has the technology for something similar, but we won't see it in games for quite some time since we won't have the hardware to run that type of shading for years (I'd estimate maybe 4-6 generations away from even seeing a single iteration of it).

[Drahsid]

The problem is that AO (unlike hardware PhysX) is used on all platforms; so Nvidia and AMD would need to agree on an AO standard, which isn't about to happen.

I like my HBAO+.

The day nVidia and AMD combine all their technologies would be the day that that happens.

[Drahsid]

Nvidia already has the technology for something similar, but we won't see it in games for quite some time since we won't have the hardware to run that type of shading for years (I'd estimate maybe 4-6 generations away from even seeing a single iteration of it).

Yeah, I saw that. I can't wait to see it used in a Crysis 3 redux. (That's a joke)