Microsoft Announces DirectX Raytracing 1.2
Microsoft made an important announcement that will affect the gaming world at the GDC 2025 event. The company is starting a new era in graphics technology by introducing DirectX Raytracing (DXR) 1.2. Developed in collaboration with industry giants such as NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, this new technology promises a big leap in both performance and visual quality. DXR 1.2 draws attention with two new features that aim to increase ray tracing performance in games: Opacity Micromaps (OMM) and Shader Execution Reordering (SER).
Microsoft DirectX Raytracing 1.2 Features
DirectX Raytracing 1.2 brings with it two groundbreaking technologies to increase graphics performance. Opacity Micromaps can increase ray tracing performance in games by up to 2.3% by optimizing alpha-tested geometry. This feature reduces shader calls during ray tracing, providing a more efficient rendering process.
Another feature, Shader Execution Reordering, groups shader operations to increase GPU efficiency. This provides up to 2% performance increase, especially in complex scenes. These technologies allow for a smoother experience and higher frame rates in games.
Another innovation announced by Microsoft is Neural Rendering support. Developed together with major hardware manufacturers such as NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, this technology offers AI-based graphics improvements. While memory usage is reduced thanks to Neural Block Texture Compression, visual quality is preserved. In addition, real-time path tracing and AI-supported resolution increase features take visual details to a higher level.
Microsoft also introduced new tools for developers with DXR 1.2. Cooperative vectors, which come with Shader Model 6.9, make it easier to integrate AI techniques into the graphics pipeline. In addition, WARP, a CPU-based software, has been made compatible with DX12 Ultimate, providing ray tracing support even on devices that do not require a GPU. A preview version of DirectX Raytracing 1.2 is expected to be released alongside the Agility SDK in April 2025.
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