>   The GPU can be only used for certain task. It's not a generic processor
> like the CPU is. There are other tasks which are very inefficient and
> difficult to do with the GPU. And of course there are tasks which are
> simply impossible to perform with the GPU.
> 
>   Not all tasks related to computer graphics can be performed with the
> GPU. The GPU is specialized in a certain type of calculations.

I see.

>   One feature of GPUs is that they are good at making the same calculations
> in parallel. For example, if you are applying a filter to an image the
> GPU is superb for this. That's because the exact same filter can be
> applied to every single pixel of the image. It's the one and same task
> performed over a set of data.
> 
>   Raytracing isn't such a task, though. Rays may or not get reflected and
> refracted, split into two, they may or may not be used for shadow testing,
> they may or may not be used to sample media, a texture may or may not be
> evaluated at an intersection point... It's hard to do these things with
> a GPU.

I see your point.

>   Another killer is that GPUs don't support recursion, while raytracing
> obviously requires it.

can it be emulated by programming it? if so would the penalty would be
too big?

>> Why are you so negative about it?
> 
>   I'm not negative. I'm realist.

Yes, is true, you're pretty realistic, I may have assumed too much.

> I don't like to raise false hope.

Which is fair

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