Advanced screen space techniques for real time rendering

This thesis presents novel extensions to Screen Space Ray Tracing (SSRT) for real-time rendering, focusing on reflections and refractions. Traditional screen space techniques, such as Screen Space Reflections (SSR), suffer from limitations in handling objects outside the camera’s view or occluded by other geometry. To address these challenges, a Two-Camera SSR method is proposed, incorporating a secondary camera to capture reflections from off-screen objects. Additionally, a screen space approximation for volumetric refraction is introduced, efficiently computing refractions in real-time using simplified models based on the Metallic-Roughness material model. These techniques achieve high visual quality while maintaining real-time performance. The thesis also explores the integration of the proposed methods into modern graphics pipelines, demonstrating their effectiveness in rendering various materials, including glossy metals, dielectrics, and refractive objects. The results highlight the balance between physical accuracy and computational efficiency, making these techniques suitable for real-time applications like video games and interactive simulations.