You do not necessarely need normal mapping as long as you can create normals to use for lighting.I dont have a deep understanding of 3d engines but would you need normal mapping for a non-flat texture[voxels are 3d so would they need normal mapping] being lit via ray/path tracing.
Having per-voxel normal would certainly be the best way to do it though.
True.also because you dont like the way they advertise their products deosnt mean it is a bad/improper way to advertise.
I have been following them for a long time and I'm frustrated that they haven't really gone forward.
They have had ~7? years to do something with their octree sorter/rasterizer and still haven't had proper success.
It's either problem in advertisement, implementation or incompetence or just matter of paranoia trying to get patent on technique and trying to keep secret so no-one can steal it.
IMO, creating a open environment where people could have tried the tech and give positive word on it would be a lot more effective method to sell it.
Another way would have been open source and technical paper at Siggraph / GDC, the tech would have evolved from what he had.
Sadly none of those alternatives happened and we have a tech that people pretty much know how to do, but cannot use due to the patents. (even though it's based on old ideas.)
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