The shader became much smarter at distinguishing matte surfaces (like carpet or dirt) from reflective surfaces (like wet asphalt, metal armor, or polished marble). This added a layer of material accuracy that rivaled native engine retrofits. Step-by-Step Installation Guide
Pascal Gilcher’s Ray Traced Global Illumination (RTGI) shader has completely transformed the PC gaming landscape. It allows players to inject modern, hardware-agnostic ray-traced lighting into legacy and modern titles alike via ReShade. The launch of the RTGI 0.17.0.2 release marks a major milestone in this journey. This update introduces critical stability fixes, massive performance optimizations, and structural enhancements that refine how light bounces, shadows form, and ambient occlusion settles in your favorite game worlds.
Setting up this specific version requires a structured approach to prevent display errors or game crashes.
The updated SDK improves compatibility with the latest HLSL and DXC (DirectX Shader Compiler) versions. Shader compilation times have been reduced, and edge-case compiler warnings that previously disrupted automation pipelines have been ironed out. Architecture: How It Works Under the Hood rtgi 0.17.0.2 release
: Refined the ray-tracing loop to reduce the GPU overhead, specifically for users running higher resolutions.
This is primarily a building on v0.17.0.1. Key changes include:
Do not overwrite an older version without deleting the previous .cache folder in your game directory. Some users reported shader compilation errors that were resolved by a clean install. The shader became much smarter at distinguishing matte
| Game | RTGI Off (FPS) | RTGI 0.16 (Balanced) | RTGI 0.17.0.2 (Balanced) | Improvement | |------|----------------|------------------------|----------------------------|--------------| | Fallout 4 | 72 | 51 | 58 | +13.7% | | Grand Theft Auto V | 98 | 68 | 77 | +13.2% | | Resident Evil 2 Remake | 86 | 61 | 69 | +13.1% | | Skyrim SE (heavily modded) | 55 | 37 | 43 | +16.2% |
: Enhanced compatibility with ReShade’s depth buffer detection to prevent "ghosting" or "halo" effects around objects in games with complex anti-aliasing or UI overlays. Variable Rate Shading (VRS) Concepts
For those looking to upgrade their visual experience, the process remains straightforward: Setting up this specific version requires a structured
RTGI is a paid shader, with access provided through the developer's Patreon page. Users who supported Pascal Gilcher at the appropriate tier could download the latest versions, including the 0.17.0.2 beta. This support model has allowed the developer to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible with real-time ray tracing in games.
You can find the full changelog and download the shader directly via Pascal Gilcher’s Patreon optimizing your ReShade settings