Note: v0.33 predates ReShade’s depth buffer optimizations introduced in v4.9+; modern cards achieve better results.
: Because it only needs the pixels you can see, it doesn't require a high-end RTX graphics card, making "ray tracing" accessible to a much wider audience. 2021: The Turning Point
Users of Reshade can often tweak shader settings to achieve the desired balance between visual quality and performance impact.
ReShade RTGI v0.33 is a landmark shader that democratised real‑time global illumination long before hardware ray tracing became mainstream. If you are willing to pay for Pascal Gilcher’s outstanding work, spend a little time adjusting sliders, and accept its screen‑space limitations, you will be rewarded with lighting that breathes new life into older games – all on a GPU that would otherwise never see a single ray. reshade ray tracing shader rtgi 033 2021
Technical Evaluation of ReShade RTGI Shader (v0.33) – 2021 Implementation Date: [Current Date] Subject: Analysis of screen-space ray traced global illumination shader for legacy game compatibility.
As a screen-space shader, if an object that should be casting light is off-screen, the lighting effect disappears. Conclusion
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later. Note: v0
Do not use the standard ReShade installer for RTGI. You need the specific shader repository.
Gilcher’s shaders are normally distributed through (starting at $5/month). That model lets him finance full‑time development while keeping the final versions free / open source later. Consequently, RTGI is not a free public download – you support the creator to get the latest binaries, and v0.33 was one of the most sought‑after beta releases of 2021.
Tells the shader how "thick" objects are in the depth buffer. Adjust this if you notice strange light halos glowing behind solid walls. Managing the Performance Hit ReShade RTGI v0
Unlike native ray tracing, RTGI 0.33 does not require specific tensor cores. It runs on pure compute units, which is why AMD and older Nvidia cards saw a much smaller performance hit.
| Aspect | Native RT (NVIDIA RTX / AMD RDNA2+) | ReShade RTGI | |--------|--------------------------------------|---------------| | | Traces against full 3D geometry (triangles). | Screen‑space rays, limited by what the camera sees. | | Accuracy | Physically accurate (global illumination, shadows, reflections). | Approximated GI – no light from off‑screen sources, no true mirror reflections. | | Performance | Very heavy, but uses RT cores to accelerate. | Surprisingly light if settings are kept modest (e.g. 4 rays, 16 steps). | | Compatibility | Requires a modern GPU with ray‑tracing hardware. | Works on any GPU that can run ReShade (even Intel integrated). | | Cost | Free part of game engine. | Patreon‑based access for beta builds (v0.33 required subscription). |
Once in-game, press Home to open the ReShade overlay.
: Light from bright surfaces "bleeds" onto nearby objects, such as a portal's orange glow reflecting onto a concrete floor. Ambient Occlusion
Installing and using the shader required a few crucial steps, particularly ensuring the shader could "see" the 3D world.