Render Dragon Engine and Ray Tracing in Minecraft

Minecraft is a game that can be enjoyed on a wide array of platforms, including iOS, Windows, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, among others. What makes it truly exciting is the unique features and capabilities available on each platform that are not found elsewhere. A big thank you to the developers of Minecraft for their continuous efforts in enhancing the game, making it increasingly engaging. For instance, when creating the mobile version, they introduced touch controls and enabled gameplay in virtual reality with Gear VR. In the latest update titled “Better Together,” players gained the ability to team up with friends and other gamers on consoles where this update has been installed.

Just a few days ago, the developers announced a revamp of the hardware currently powering Minecraft Bedrock. All primary platforms hosting the game will be relaunched with a new engine called Render Dragon. As for the visual aspects of the game, there will also be some modifications. One of the largest American companies, NVIDIA, known for producing graphics accelerators, has partnered with Minecraft, resulting in the integration of real-time ray tracing technology into the game’s graphics. So, are you ready to dive into an amazing world of unparalleled graphics and speed?

NVIDIA Ray Tracing

This technology is set to elevate the game’s graphics to a whole new level. Naturally, it’s quite exciting for both developers and players to introduce and adapt to these new features. However, this time everyone is completely confident in NVIDIA and its ray tracing technology. It will be available for users on devices running Windows 10 that support the DirectX R programming interface. This includes the GeForce RTX graphics card, which will later be expanded to include new platforms supporting ray tracing.

What is the purpose of this update? The ray tracing technology, also known as RTX, will enhance the graphics of Minecraft to make them more lifelike. Lighting will improve, colors will become brighter and more vibrant, water will reflect and refract sunlight, and textures will be of higher quality.

All changes related to lighting can be summed up in one word— “emission.” This term refers to the ability to emit something, whether it be heat, light, or any form of radiation. It’s challenging to convey the impact of this technology with words alone, so let’s take a look at ray tracing in action:

Render Dragon

If we have to wait at least until next year for the RTX update, we’re luckier with the Render Dragon engine. The developers are set to test the graphics engine’s capabilities on specific platforms and aim to release it in the coming months. During the showcase of Minecraft Earth at the Worldwide Developers Conference by Apple, Render Dragon was already mentioned, along with a sneak peek of its features in action.

Initially, edge highlighting will be implemented along with new lighting technologies. Gradually, there will be an increase in innovations affecting both the visual and performance aspects. Your device will play a crucial role in this process. Based on its capabilities, Render Dragon will unlock new features. For instance, not all devices will support ray tracing, but even so, the game on those devices won’t revert to outdated graphics. According to the developers, they aim to leverage all hardware advantages to make Minecraft Bedrock as high-quality and enjoyable as possible.

For now, this is all we know about the updates. We look forward to more news from the developers regarding the implementation of Render Dragon!