Nvidia updates RTX Path Tracing tool with 20% performance boost

Nvidia has released version 1.9.0 of its free RTX Path Tracing developer tool, introducing optimizations that provide up to a 20% increase in performance compared to version 1.8.1. The update maintains or improves image quality while reducing CPU frame times, particularly in scenes containing numerous objects.

Key technical improvements include reduced memory usage for Opacity Micromaps to alleviate hardware requirements and the implementation of an asynchronous compute queue. This queue allows for more efficient workload distribution by running tasks required for DLSS Ray Reconstruction in parallel with previous frame processes.

Additionally, the new version introduces support for Windows on Arm, which is significant for Arm-based laptops. The tool, which operates on DirectX 12 and Vulkan, serves as a reference application to help developers integrate path tracing technology into their own games and projects.