Nvidia patents real-time rendering of complex materials using neural networks
Nvidia describes a method for rendering realistic material appearances in real-time using neural networks. Instead of pre-calculating textures, the system uses a neural decoder to interpret compressed data (latent codes) at specific points on a surface to determine how light reflects off it.
In the filing’s own words
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to real-time neural appearance models. Using a neural decoder, scenes are rendered in real-time with complex material appearance previously reserved for offline use. Learned hierarchical textures representing the material properties are encoded as latent codes. When a ray is cast and intersects with geometry in the scene, the intersection point is mapped to one of the latent codes. The latent code is interpreted using neural decoders, which produce reflectance values and importance-sampled directions that can be used to determine a pixel color.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving an encoding representative of one or more properties of a material associated with a surface at a point intersected by a ray; extracting, from the encoding, at least one property indicating a local orientation of the material; transforming one or more surface vectors at the point intersected by the ray using the at least one extracted property to produce transformed surface vectors; predicting, by a neural network, reflectance attributes for the surface based on the encoding and the transformed surface vectors; and causing one or more images from one or more viewpoints depicting at least a portion of the surface to be rendered using the predicted reflectance attributes.
Facts
- Company
- Nvidia (NVIDIA Corporation)
- Official title
- REAL-TIME NEURAL APPEARANCE MODELS
- Publication number
- US20260289901A1
- Application number
- 19693891
- Filed
- Jun 1, 2026
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026
- Inventors
- 9
- Claims
- 21
Classified under
G06T 15/06 Physics & computingG06T 7/33 Physics & computingG06T 7/40 Physics & computingG06T 15/506 Physics & computingG06T 2207/20081 Physics & computingG06T 2207/20084 Physics & computingMore from Nvidia in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.