DOOM: The Dark Ages Cuts Dev Time With RTGI Tech

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id Software has demonstrated how ray tracing accelerates game production. The studio presented its findings at the SIGGRAPH 2025 conference. This analysis focused on the id Tech 7 engine.

The presentation detailed major efficiency gains from real-time global illumination. This technology is central to upcoming titles like DOOM: The Dark Ages. It fundamentally changes how developers handle in-game lighting.

Tangible Benefits for Developers and Studios

According to the Digital Foundry analysis, the benefits are concrete. Pre-computation times for lighting levels have been drastically reduced. Both minimum and maximum calculation times saw significant improvement.

This efficiency also lowers storage and infrastructure demands. Network storage needs and overall disk requirements are now much smaller. These savings allow developers to iterate and experiment much faster.

Industry-Wide Shift Towards Real-Time Lighting

This is not an isolated case. Other major studios report similar developmental advantages. Ubisoft recently discussed its work on Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

A Ubisoft developer noted traditional methods would have taken years. Baking lighting data for the game would have required two years of work. The file size for that data would have been a massive two terabytes.

Real-time ray tracing eliminates this lengthy pre-production phase. It empowers artists with immediate feedback on their work. This shift is rapidly becoming a new industry standard for AAA development.

The integration of ray tracing is proving to be a game-changer beyond visual fidelity. These production efficiencies are compelling more studios to adopt the technology, fundamentally reshaping game development pipelines for the better.

Info at your fingertips

What is ray tracing in games?

Ray tracing simulates how light behaves in the real world. It creates more realistic shadows, reflections, and lighting. This enhances the overall visual immersion of a game.

How does ray tracing help developers?

It removes the need to pre-calculate or “bake” lighting into levels. This process used to take days or even weeks. Now, developers see results in real-time, speeding up creation.

Do you need a special GPU for ray tracing?

Yes, ray tracing requires a compatible graphics card. Modern GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD support these features. Older hardware cannot run these advanced lighting effects.

Which games use this technology?

Recent titles like DOOM: The Dark Ages and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle use it. Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2 also feature advanced ray tracing. The list of supported games grows every year.

What is the difference between ray tracing and path tracing?

Ray tracing often handles specific effects like reflections. Path tracing is a more comprehensive simulation of all light paths. It is more computationally demanding but offers the highest visual fidelity.