Does anyone have experience with path tracing using OpenGL 4? Do you have a favourite implementation of such a thing? Thanks for your time and expertise.

You have an RTX GPU. Why do you want to implement your own RT in OpenGL compute, although you could get the same with HW accelerataion using Vulkan / DX12?

Otherwise, this might help: https://www.kevinbeason.com/smallpt/
There are also countless shadertoys doing similar things using simple procedural scenes.

Meshes and acceleration structures is harder to find, since performance is usually too bad for games.

I notice that there is a lib called tinybvh. I’d like to see something use that lib. Basically, I’m betting that the Nintendo Switch 2 will not have hardware acceleration for ray tracing.

taby said:
I’m betting that the Nintendo Switch 2 will not have hardware acceleration for ray tracing.

Current state of rumor mill, afaik: ‘10 times more powerful. It will have RT and tensors for DLSS, but it will not have frame generation because it's architecture is Ampere.’

Imagine…
Nintendo: Can we have a new SoC for portable game console?
NV: Sure, with the newest and most important acceleration features we guess? RTX and DLSS?
Nintendo: Meh, not really. Just rasterizing triangles and some compute will do.
NV: How ignorant. Please leave our office. We'll serve your competitiors who are better informed on what's the future of video games!

Or, wait - a better one:

Gamer 2000: Take my money and give me that GTX!
NV: Sure! We are so happy about your interest! Thanks for all the money and support!
Gamer 2010: Oh wow! A GTX Titan for lots of $$$? Give it to me! I'll impress my friends with my shiny enthusiast rig!
NV: Sure, take it! And thanks for all the money still. We're already a stable company now, doing good business. Thanks!
Gamer 2020: Um… your RTX became quite expensive, you know? Don't you have some cheaper model for entry market?
NV: Sure, but it does not have enough ram and cores to be useful for games. Better spend more for something proper.
Gamer 2025: Doubling the price once more? Seriouslly? My support has funded your company. Can't you make me a good offer for that?
NV: Who are you? Oh, a gamer? Haha, that's for kids. We are an AI company now, building the future of humanity. We don't care about silly games anymore.
Either you pay premium or you leave, we don't really care.

hehe… never feed me with opportunities for NV rant :D

Yes, Nintendo is avoiding using generative AI, as far as I heard.

10x faster with RTX? That would be a dream. 🙂

taby said:
Yes, Nintendo is avoiding using generative AI, as far as I heard.

I like that.
But at the same time it makes me feel like a dinosaur, sitting with other dinosaurs on a couch and dismissing the opportunity. :D

taby said:
10x faster with RTX? That would be a dream.

Maybe 10x is a bit optimistic. But afaik Switch has 256 GPU cores and 2 will get >1500. Newer architecture, higher frequency… so 10 should be possible in some cases.

A Steamdeck is already 5x a Switch, has RT too and a similar price.

But…. Steamdeck does not have Super Mario Party! 🙂

taby said:
But…. Steamdeck does not have Super Mario Party! 🙂

It has. And it has Sonic too, even Breath Of The Wild. They call it ‘Emulation’. : )

Edit: Isn't it nice when YOU can decide which programs to run on YOUR computer?
Gabe does good things… ; )