Microsoft adds clustered geometry to DirectX Raytracing

Microsoft has updated DirectX Raytracing (DXR) with clustered geometry and partitioned top-level acceleration structure (PTLAS). The features address the compute and memory demands of preparing detailed scenes for ray tracing, with support for using them together or independently.

Clustered geometry breaks animated and generated geometry into simple, reusable clusters of triangles. Conventional scenes repeatedly build large bottom-level acceleration structures, adding compute costs. The new approach allows ray tracing to use the same fully detailed geometry as standard rasterization rather than relying on proxies. That helps ray-traced shadows and reflections match the geometry currently visible in the scene.

PTLAS targets the substantial VRAM and compute requirements that top-level acceleration structures can create in open-world games. It allows ray tracing to concentrate updates on changes within a specific region while retaining acceleration-structure data elsewhere. Together, the additions offer complementary ways to manage detailed geometry and scene changes without repeatedly rebuilding large structures.