ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an approach that distributes sampling over multiple, consecutive frames and, thereby, enables sampling-based, real-time rendering techniques to be implemented for most graphics hardware and systems in a less complex, straightforward way. This systematic, extensible schema allows developers to effectively handle the increasing implementation complexity of advanced, sophisticated, real-time rendering techniques, while improving responsiveness and reducing required hardware resources. Progressive rendering using multi-frame sampling allows us to use rather simple implementations of rendering techniques to produce state-of- the-art effects. When multi-frame sampling is used with multiple techniques simultaneously, depending on their assembly, there might be combinations that require special attention, for example, stochastic per-fragment discarding combined with screen- space ambient occlusion. Accumulating multiple frames results in realistic and aliasing-free soft shadows with large penumbras. The chapter describes sampling strategies and frame accumulation. For a variety of rendering techniques, associated multi-frame approaches are discussed in this chapter.
