In 2021, the landscape of PC gaming graphics underwent a significant shift, driven not just by new hardware, but by innovative software solutions. One of the most groundbreaking developments was the maturation of for ReShade, culminating in the critical 0.3.3 beta release .
Although RTGI has since moved to newer versions (0.36, 0.51 etc.), v0.33 remains a beloved stable release – reliable, well‑documented, and the version that many classic preset files still expect.
In 2021, the gaming industry was in the transition phase of adopting ray tracing. However, this was limited to new AAA titles.
: Unlike native NVIDIA RTX or AMD Ray Tracing solutions, RTGI works on almost any GPU (including older cards) because it is a screen-space effect
RTGI is a screen-space ray tracing shader for ReShade that simulates how light bounces off surfaces in real-time.
Check the box for your game's current resolution and depth format.
Users on forums like ResetEra praised RTGI for adding “proper GI and Ambient Occlusion” to titles where the art style was beautiful but lighting felt flat. Others pointed out that it works best when you disable the game’s own bloom and ambient occlusion to avoid double‑darkening.
True ray tracing calculates light bouncing from surface to surface infinitely. RTGI 0.33 utilized clever math to simulate secondary and tertiary light bounces. If a bright red light hit a white wall, the white wall would accurately bleed a soft pink hue onto the floor below it. 3. Emissive Materials Support
Unlike "native" ray tracing, which requires the computer to know about everything in a game world (even what's behind the character), Gilcher’s shader uses the "Depth Buffer"—the map of what is currently on your screen.
If you are looking to install this today, ensure you are using the latest version of ReShade along with the updated RTGI available through Marty McFly's Patreon.
The world of computer graphics has witnessed significant advancements in recent years, with real-time ray tracing emerging as a game-changer in the industry. One of the most exciting developments in this space is the ReShade Ray Tracing Shader RTGI 0.3.3, released in 2021. This shader has been making waves among gamers, developers, and graphics enthusiasts alike, and for good reason. In this article, we'll take a closer look at what makes ReShade Ray Tracing Shader RTGI 0.3.3 so special and how it's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in real-time graphics rendering.
Standard ambient occlusion (like SSAO or HBAO) simply darkens corners blindly. RTGI 0.33 calculated physically accurate micro-shadows. Contact shadows under a character's boots or between individual bricks looked grounded and realistic. Hardware Requirements and Performance Impact
Users dubbed RTGI 0.33 the "Marty McFly" shader because it made old games look like they had traveled to the future. For example, Fallout: New Vegas (2010) suddenly had ambient occlusion and light bounce that rivaled Metro Exodus .