ARCSM
Our Anisotropic Relaxed Cone Step Mapping system delivers accurate real-time relief through a precomputed acceleration structure and custom HLSL implementation. Compared to traditional POM, ARCSM maintains fidelity at lower cost — ideal for dynamic camera angles and performance-sensitive scenes. This demo features side-by-side comparisons with standard techniques, showing how ARCSM reduces artifacts, preserves silhouette integrity, and scales efficiently across a AAA production pipeline.
Real Time
2024
Real Time VFX
ARCSM
Our Anisotropic Relaxed Cone Step Mapping system delivers accurate real-time relief through a precomputed acceleration structure and custom HLSL implementation. Compared to traditional POM, ARCSM maintains fidelity at lower cost — ideal for dynamic camera angles and performance-sensitive scenes. This demo features side-by-side comparisons with standard techniques, showing how ARCSM reduces artifacts, preserves silhouette integrity, and scales efficiently across a AAA production pipeline.
Real Time
2024
Real Time VFX
ARCSM
Our Anisotropic Relaxed Cone Step Mapping system delivers accurate real-time relief through a precomputed acceleration structure and custom HLSL implementation. Compared to traditional POM, ARCSM maintains fidelity at lower cost — ideal for dynamic camera angles and performance-sensitive scenes. This demo features side-by-side comparisons with standard techniques, showing how ARCSM reduces artifacts, preserves silhouette integrity, and scales efficiently across a AAA production pipeline.
Real Time
2024
Real Time VFX
Introduction: Relief Mapping Techniques
In real-time rendering, achieving convincing surface depth and detail without adding geometry has been an ongoing challenge. The evolution of relief mapping techniques represents our journey from basic surface simulation to advanced depth perception systems. The foundation of relief mapping began with fundamental techniques: Normal Mapping. Simulates surface lighting response without modifying geometry Bump Mapping. Basic surface perturbation for lighting calculations Parallax Mapping. Simple texture coordinate shifting for basic depth illusion These traditional methods, while lightweight and widely supported, fall short in delivering convincing depth perception—especially when viewed from oblique angles where the lack of actual geometric displacement becomes apparent.
Introduction: Relief Mapping Techniques
In real-time rendering, achieving convincing surface depth and detail without adding geometry has been an ongoing challenge. The evolution of relief mapping techniques represents our journey from basic surface simulation to advanced depth perception systems. The foundation of relief mapping began with fundamental techniques: Normal Mapping. Simulates surface lighting response without modifying geometry Bump Mapping. Basic surface perturbation for lighting calculations Parallax Mapping. Simple texture coordinate shifting for basic depth illusion These traditional methods, while lightweight and widely supported, fall short in delivering convincing depth perception—especially when viewed from oblique angles where the lack of actual geometric displacement becomes apparent.
Introduction: Relief Mapping Techniques
In real-time rendering, achieving convincing surface depth and detail without adding geometry has been an ongoing challenge. The evolution of relief mapping techniques represents our journey from basic surface simulation to advanced depth perception systems. The foundation of relief mapping began with fundamental techniques: Normal Mapping. Simulates surface lighting response without modifying geometry Bump Mapping. Basic surface perturbation for lighting calculations Parallax Mapping. Simple texture coordinate shifting for basic depth illusion These traditional methods, while lightweight and widely supported, fall short in delivering convincing depth perception—especially when viewed from oblique angles where the lack of actual geometric displacement becomes apparent.
Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) Foundation
Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) is a traditional technique for simulating detailed surface relief without adding geometry. It operates by ray marching through a heightmap texture, approximating depth and occlusion effects on flat surfaces.
Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) Foundation
Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) is a traditional technique for simulating detailed surface relief without adding geometry. It operates by ray marching through a heightmap texture, approximating depth and occlusion effects on flat surfaces.
Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) Foundation
Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) is a traditional technique for simulating detailed surface relief without adding geometry. It operates by ray marching through a heightmap texture, approximating depth and occlusion effects on flat surfaces.
POM Algorithm Process
POM Algorithm Process
POM Algorithm Process
FIG 1. Overview POM algorithm.
FIG 1. Overview POM algorithm.
FIG 1. Overview POM algorithm.
1. Ray Setup: Cast a ray from the eye position through the fragment in view space 2. Uniform Sampling: Sample the height field at regular intervals along the ray 3. Intersection Detection: Find where the ray intersects the height field surface 4. Texture Coordinate Offset: Calculate the final texture coordinate based on intersection point More steps mean higher quality, but the performance penalty is substantial; each step requires an additional sample and extra calculations.
1. Ray Setup: Cast a ray from the eye position through the fragment in view space 2. Uniform Sampling: Sample the height field at regular intervals along the ray 3. Intersection Detection: Find where the ray intersects the height field surface 4. Texture Coordinate Offset: Calculate the final texture coordinate based on intersection point More steps mean higher quality, but the performance penalty is substantial; each step requires an additional sample and extra calculations.
1. Ray Setup: Cast a ray from the eye position through the fragment in view space 2. Uniform Sampling: Sample the height field at regular intervals along the ray 3. Intersection Detection: Find where the ray intersects the height field surface 4. Texture Coordinate Offset: Calculate the final texture coordinate based on intersection point More steps mean higher quality, but the performance penalty is substantial; each step requires an additional sample and extra calculations.
POM LIMITATIONS
The fundamental issue with POM lies in its uniform sampling approach:
POM LIMITATIONS
The fundamental issue with POM lies in its uniform sampling approach:
POM LIMITATIONS
The fundamental issue with POM lies in its uniform sampling approach:
// Simplified POM pseudocode for(int i = 0; i < numSteps; i++) { float stepSize = 1.0 / float(numSteps); vec2 currentOffset = offset * stepSize * float(i); float currentHeight = texture(heightMap, texCoord + currentOffset).r; if(currentHeight > rayHeight) { // Intersection found break; } }
Problems: - Uniform stepping doesn't account for surface complexity - Over-sampling in flat areas, under-sampling in complex regions - Linear relationship between quality and performance cost - Significant artifacts when step count is reduced
Problems: - Uniform stepping doesn't account for surface complexity - Over-sampling in flat areas, under-sampling in complex regions - Linear relationship between quality and performance cost - Significant artifacts when step count is reduced
Problems: - Uniform stepping doesn't account for surface complexity - Over-sampling in flat areas, under-sampling in complex regions - Linear relationship between quality and performance cost - Significant artifacts when step count is reduced
RCSM - Relaxed Cone Mapping
Cone Step Mapping (CSM) uses cones whose tips are on the heightfield and the angle is as wide as possible to try to reach the collision point faster than POM.
RCSM - Relaxed Cone Mapping
Cone Step Mapping (CSM) uses cones whose tips are on the heightfield and the angle is as wide as possible to try to reach the collision point faster than POM.
RCSM - Relaxed Cone Mapping
Cone Step Mapping (CSM) uses cones whose tips are on the heightfield and the angle is as wide as possible to try to reach the collision point faster than POM.
FIG 2. Cone Step Mapping
FIG 2. Cone Step Mapping
FIG 2. Cone Step Mapping
While POM method marches through the height map at regular, fixed intervals along the view ray, RCM is an improvement over POM that adapts step size using a "relaxed cone" heuristic, allowing faster convergence and fewer texture samples. - Instead of stepping uniformly, the algorithm widens the sampling cone over depth to adaptively step more aggressively in flat areas and more precisely near intersections.- This reduces the number of required samples without missing intersections.- RCM can maintain high visual fidelity with a fraction of the cost.
While POM method marches through the height map at regular, fixed intervals along the view ray, RCM is an improvement over POM that adapts step size using a "relaxed cone" heuristic, allowing faster convergence and fewer texture samples. - Instead of stepping uniformly, the algorithm widens the sampling cone over depth to adaptively step more aggressively in flat areas and more precisely near intersections.- This reduces the number of required samples without missing intersections.- RCM can maintain high visual fidelity with a fraction of the cost.
While POM method marches through the height map at regular, fixed intervals along the view ray, RCM is an improvement over POM that adapts step size using a "relaxed cone" heuristic, allowing faster convergence and fewer texture samples. - Instead of stepping uniformly, the algorithm widens the sampling cone over depth to adaptively step more aggressively in flat areas and more precisely near intersections.- This reduces the number of required samples without missing intersections.- RCM can maintain high visual fidelity with a fraction of the cost.
More information here: Chapter 18. Relaxed Cone Stepping for Relief Mapping
More information here: Chapter 18. Relaxed Cone Stepping for Relief Mapping
Next step: Anisotropic RCSM
Anisotropic Relaxed Cone Mapping (ARCM) is an evolution of Relaxed Cone Mapping (RCM) that introduces anisotropic step control, offering both higher quality and better performance
Next step: Anisotropic RCSM
Anisotropic Relaxed Cone Mapping (ARCM) is an evolution of Relaxed Cone Mapping (RCM) that introduces anisotropic step control, offering both higher quality and better performance
Next step: Anisotropic RCSM
Anisotropic Relaxed Cone Mapping (ARCM) is an evolution of Relaxed Cone Mapping (RCM) that introduces anisotropic step control, offering both higher quality and better performance
FIG3. Instead of using a regular cone, ARCSM uses a anisotropic cone (different width depending on the direction)
FIG3. Instead of using a regular cone, ARCSM uses a anisotropic cone (different width depending on the direction)
FIG3. Instead of using a regular cone, ARCSM uses a anisotropic cone (different width depending on the direction)
While RCM relaxes the step size based on view angle and height changes (radially symmetric around the view ray), ARCM further adapts step size non-uniformly (anisotropically) depending on the surface slope direction and view direction, treating U and V (texture) axes separately.
While RCM relaxes the step size based on view angle and height changes (radially symmetric around the view ray), ARCM further adapts step size non-uniformly (anisotropically) depending on the surface slope direction and view direction, treating U and V (texture) axes separately.
While RCM relaxes the step size based on view angle and height changes (radially symmetric around the view ray), ARCM further adapts step size non-uniformly (anisotropically) depending on the surface slope direction and view direction, treating U and V (texture) axes separately.
Implementation details
- We developed an ARCSM texture-generator GPU-powered to generate the support texture as fast as possible - The implementation supports SubUV and flipbooks - It’s been tested in battle
Implementation details
- We developed an ARCSM texture-generator GPU-powered to generate the support texture as fast as possible - The implementation supports SubUV and flipbooks - It’s been tested in battle
Implementation details
- We developed an ARCSM texture-generator GPU-powered to generate the support texture as fast as possible - The implementation supports SubUV and flipbooks - It’s been tested in battle
SHOWCASE: ARCSM IN PRODUCTION
ARCSM technology has proven invaluable in our production workflow, particularly for simulations requiring detailed surface displacement without geometric overhead. We've integrated ARCSM across multiple pipeline stages to deliver high-quality real-time effects. Ground Simulations Workflow Our primary application combines ARCSM with a full production pipeline for ground-based effects: Pipeline Overview: - Houdini (simulation creation and rendering) - After Effects (post-production and texture creation) - Unreal Engine (ARCSM integration) We create ground simulations (fractures, sand displacement, sinkholes) in Houdini, render depth passes and ambient occlusion, then process them through After Effects to generate flipbook textures. These textures are then integrated into Unreal using ARCSM for real-time playback.
SHOWCASE: ARCSM IN PRODUCTION
ARCSM technology has proven invaluable in our production workflow, particularly for simulations requiring detailed surface displacement without geometric overhead. We've integrated ARCSM across multiple pipeline stages to deliver high-quality real-time effects. Ground Simulations Workflow Our primary application combines ARCSM with a full production pipeline for ground-based effects: Pipeline Overview: - Houdini (simulation creation and rendering) - After Effects (post-production and texture creation) - Unreal Engine (ARCSM integration) We create ground simulations (fractures, sand displacement, sinkholes) in Houdini, render depth passes and ambient occlusion, then process them through After Effects to generate flipbook textures. These textures are then integrated into Unreal using ARCSM for real-time playback.
SHOWCASE: ARCSM IN PRODUCTION
ARCSM technology has proven invaluable in our production workflow, particularly for simulations requiring detailed surface displacement without geometric overhead. We've integrated ARCSM across multiple pipeline stages to deliver high-quality real-time effects. Ground Simulations Workflow Our primary application combines ARCSM with a full production pipeline for ground-based effects: Pipeline Overview: - Houdini (simulation creation and rendering) - After Effects (post-production and texture creation) - Unreal Engine (ARCSM integration) We create ground simulations (fractures, sand displacement, sinkholes) in Houdini, render depth passes and ambient occlusion, then process them through After Effects to generate flipbook textures. These textures are then integrated into Unreal using ARCSM for real-time playback.
Effect Types
Ground Fractures: Complex fracture simulations with dynamic cracks and displacement rendered as 64-frame sequences, converted to ARCSM-compatible heightmaps Sand Simulations: Particle-based sand displacement converted to mesh via VDB, maintaining fine surface detail through ARCSM's anisotropic sampling Sinkholes: Large-scale terrain deformation effects with smooth depth transitions and preserved silhouette integrity Technical Integration Size Variations: sm (3m) / md (5m) / lg (10m) / xl (15m) Directional Coverage: Cone angles at 30°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 270° for both directional and omnidirectional simulations
Effect Types
Ground Fractures: Complex fracture simulations with dynamic cracks and displacement rendered as 64-frame sequences, converted to ARCSM-compatible heightmaps Sand Simulations: Particle-based sand displacement converted to mesh via VDB, maintaining fine surface detail through ARCSM's anisotropic sampling Sinkholes: Large-scale terrain deformation effects with smooth depth transitions and preserved silhouette integrity Technical Integration Size Variations: sm (3m) / md (5m) / lg (10m) / xl (15m) Directional Coverage: Cone angles at 30°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 270° for both directional and omnidirectional simulations
Effect Types
Ground Fractures: Complex fracture simulations with dynamic cracks and displacement rendered as 64-frame sequences, converted to ARCSM-compatible heightmaps Sand Simulations: Particle-based sand displacement converted to mesh via VDB, maintaining fine surface detail through ARCSM's anisotropic sampling Sinkholes: Large-scale terrain deformation effects with smooth depth transitions and preserved silhouette integrity Technical Integration Size Variations: sm (3m) / md (5m) / lg (10m) / xl (15m) Directional Coverage: Cone angles at 30°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 270° for both directional and omnidirectional simulations
Technical Integration
Size Variations: sm (3m) / md (5m) / lg (10m) / xl (15m) Directional Coverage: Cone angles at 30°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 270° for both directional and omnidirectional simulationsead of using a regular cone, ARCSM uses a anisotropic cone (different width depending on the direction)
Size Variations: sm (3m) / md (5m) / lg (10m) / xl (15m) Directional Coverage: Cone angles at 30°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 270° for both directional and omnidirectional simulationsead of using a regular cone, ARCSM uses a anisotropic cone (different width depending on the direction)
Technical Integration
Size Variations: sm (3m) / md (5m) / lg (10m) / xl (15m) Directional Coverage: Cone angles at 30°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 270° for both directional and omnidirectional simulationsead of using a regular cone, ARCSM uses a anisotropic cone (different width depending on the direction)
Grayscale Depth Encoding
- White = higher elevation values - Black = lower elevation values - Reference plane controls surface interaction (value 1.0 = below surface, 0.5 = above and below, 0.0 = above surface)
- White = higher elevation values - Black = lower elevation values - Reference plane controls surface interaction (value 1.0 = below surface, 0.5 = above and below, 0.0 = above surface)
Grayscale Depth Encoding
- White = higher elevation values - Black = lower elevation values - Reference plane controls surface interaction (value 1.0 = below surface, 0.5 = above and below, 0.0 = above surface)
Everything happens below the surface
Everything happens below the surface
Happens above and below the surface
Happens above and below the surface
Everything happens above the surface
Everything happens above the surface
Particle Mesh Decal System
Beyond traditional material applications, we've extended ARCSM into our Particle Mesh Decal system. This allows us to: - Animate Simulations: Render Houdini simulations into flipbook textures and drive them through particle decals - Dynamic Playback: Use SubUV animation to scrub through simulation frames in real-time - Layered Effects: Combine multiple ARCSM decals for complex, time-offset ground reactions - Performance Scaling: Adjust HeightRatio parameters per-particle for varying displacement intensity This integration means simulations created in Houdini or other DCC tools can be efficiently deployed as real-time particle effects, maintaining surface depth and occlusion quality while staying within strict performance budgets.
Beyond traditional material applications, we've extended ARCSM into our Particle Mesh Decal system. This allows us to: - Animate Simulations: Render Houdini simulations into flipbook textures and drive them through particle decals - Dynamic Playback: Use SubUV animation to scrub through simulation frames in real-time - Layered Effects: Combine multiple ARCSM decals for complex, time-offset ground reactions - Performance Scaling: Adjust HeightRatio parameters per-particle for varying displacement intensity This integration means simulations created in Houdini or other DCC tools can be efficiently deployed as real-time particle effects, maintaining surface depth and occlusion quality while staying within strict performance budgets.
Particle Mesh Decal System
Beyond traditional material applications, we've extended ARCSM into our Particle Mesh Decal system. This allows us to: - Animate Simulations: Render Houdini simulations into flipbook textures and drive them through particle decals - Dynamic Playback: Use SubUV animation to scrub through simulation frames in real-time - Layered Effects: Combine multiple ARCSM decals for complex, time-offset ground reactions - Performance Scaling: Adjust HeightRatio parameters per-particle for varying displacement intensity This integration means simulations created in Houdini or other DCC tools can be efficiently deployed as real-time particle effects, maintaining surface depth and occlusion quality while staying within strict performance budgets.
Conclusion
The evolution from traditional POM to 3-directional ARCSM represents a paradigm shift in real-time displacement mapping. By leveraging precomputed anisotropic cone information across directions, we achieve extreme quality improvements while delivering unprecedented performance gains. Key Achievements: - 3x Performance Improvement: 12 ARCSM steps match 36 POM steps - Extreme Quality: Superior results with minimal computational cost - Console Viability: Practical implementation for real-time applications - Comprehensive Toolchain: Complete texture generation and optimization pipeline This cutting-edge relief mapping technique delivers the kind of ultra-fine detail you’d expect from Parallax Occlusion Mapping with thousands of steps — but with performance close to that of a simple normal map.
Conclusion
The evolution from traditional POM to 3-directional ARCSM represents a paradigm shift in real-time displacement mapping. By leveraging precomputed anisotropic cone information across directions, we achieve extreme quality improvements while delivering unprecedented performance gains. Key Achievements: - 3x Performance Improvement: 12 ARCSM steps match 36 POM steps - Extreme Quality: Superior results with minimal computational cost - Console Viability: Practical implementation for real-time applications - Comprehensive Toolchain: Complete texture generation and optimization pipeline This cutting-edge relief mapping technique delivers the kind of ultra-fine detail you’d expect from Parallax Occlusion Mapping with thousands of steps — but with performance close to that of a simple normal map.
Conclusion
The evolution from traditional POM to 3-directional ARCSM represents a paradigm shift in real-time displacement mapping. By leveraging precomputed anisotropic cone information across directions, we achieve extreme quality improvements while delivering unprecedented performance gains. Key Achievements: - 3x Performance Improvement: 12 ARCSM steps match 36 POM steps - Extreme Quality: Superior results with minimal computational cost - Console Viability: Practical implementation for real-time applications - Comprehensive Toolchain: Complete texture generation and optimization pipeline This cutting-edge relief mapping technique delivers the kind of ultra-fine detail you’d expect from Parallax Occlusion Mapping with thousands of steps — but with performance close to that of a simple normal map.
Let's work
together
Let's create something beautiful together! At AXIOM VFX, we believe in collaboration to bring your unique vision to life. Get in touch and let's get started!
Let's work
together
Let's create something beautiful together! At AXIOM VFX, we believe in collaboration to bring your unique vision to life. Get in touch and let's get started!
Let's work
together
Let's create something beautiful together! At AXIOM VFX, we believe in collaboration to bring your unique vision to life. Get in touch and let's get started!
Headquarters
Austin, Texas (USA)
Valencia (ESP)
Headquarters
Austin, Texas (USA)
Valencia (ESP)
©2023 AXIOM VFX, INC
Headquarters
Austin, Texas (USA)
Valencia (ESP)
©2023 AXIOM VFX, INC