Merge pull request CIS565-Fall-2021#19 from CIS565-Fall-2016/extraCre…

…ditWeek

Added Extra Credit for 10/10 - 10/16

EXTRACREDIT.md

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+ Path Tracer Extra Credit: Optimizations
+========================
+
+This week (ending 10/16/2016) you will have the opportunity to add some additional
+optimizations to your pathtracer. This is 100% optional!
+Optimizations will mostly be based on [concepts discussed in lecture](https://github.com/CIS565-Fall-2016/cis565-fall-2016.github.io/blob/master/lectures/5-CUDA-Performance.pdf):
+- Warp Partitioning
+- Memory Coalescing
+- Overcoming Bank Conflicts in Shared Memory
+- Dynamic Resource Partitioning (more fine grained kernel launch tuning)
+- Data Prefetching
+- Instruction Mixing (to hide latency for sharing Special Function Units)
+- Loop Unrolling
+- Modified Thread Granularity
+
+Spend some time thinking about ways these tools may fit in your implementation.
+To give you more material to work with, you may work on adapting your own
+stream compaction code from Project 2 into the Pathtracer so you can also
+optimize/analyze that.
+
+If you haven't done so already, we also encourage you to implement shared-memory
+stream compaction for the sake of investigating bank conflicts.
+
+This is also your time to impress anyone who might look at your project, so
+feel free to tackle algorithmic optimizations as well, including acceleration
+features you saw in the standard assignment but didn't want to tackle due to
+time constraints. If in doubt as to whether or not a feature counts as an
+"optimization," please ask in the [Google Group](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cis-565-fall-2016).
+
+A thorough exploration of any single optimization area will be worth 5 points.
+Larger algorithmic changes with analysis will generally be worth 10 points.
+
+## `git`ing Started
+In your project directory, open a new branch off the branch you used for your
+submission pull request:
+
+`git checkout -b YourBranchNameHere`
+
+The `-b` instructs git to open a new branch named "YourBranchNameHere" and
+switch your project directory over to this branch. Commit your work as usual,
+and when you're ready push it to Github with:
+
+`git push origin YourBranchNameHere`
+
+To switch back to your submission branch (for most of you, the `master` branch):
+
+`git checkout master`
+
+When switching branches you may need to `commit` your current changes, or discard
+them with `git checkout .` if you don't want them.
+You can also `git stash` if you just want to temporarily hop to another branch,
+and `git stash apply` when you want your changes back.
+
+You can also `git diff` between branches to see how your code has changed.
+
+Commit working code early and often. You never know when you will have to revert
+your entire project directory to an earlier state.
+
+## Presenting Your Findings
+Please describe what you did in a separate OPTMIZATION.md.
+For credit, every optimization should come with:
+- a brief explanation of what you did and where to look in your code
+- before-and-after performance comparisons
+- explanation of any observed changes
+- additional Nsight data where appropriate (register counts, occupancy, etc.)
+
+Your optimizations do NOT have to be successful. However, please prepare a
+detailed analysis of what you were trying to do and what you think went wrong
+for credit.
+
+## Submission
+This is due midnight, Sunday 10/16/2016.
+
+In your own repo, open a new pull request from your optimization branch into
+the branch you submitted (typically master).
+Use the usual submission template in the comment section:
+* [Repo Link](https://link-to-your-repo)
+* `Your PENNKEY`
+* (Briefly) mention features/optimizations that you've completed:
+    * Optimization 0
+    * Optimization 1
+    * ...
+
+Also EMAIL this header to the TAs with a link to the pull request.
+Opening a pull request into your own submission branch will help us see what
+you have changed.