摘要:
A plurality of identical rendering pipelines are connected in parallel to read an array of voxels and to write an array of pixels. Each pipeline processes one voxel in one processing cycle of the pipelines. Each pipeline includes a plurality of serially connected different stages. The stages can include interpolation, classification, gradient estimation, illumination, and compositing stages. Interfaces connect identical stages in adjacent pipelines as one-way rings to communicate information associated with spatially adjacent voxels, and delay buffers connected parallel to particular stages communicate information associated with temporally adjacent voxels.
摘要:
A deferred graphics pipeline processor comprised of a mode extraction unit and a Polygon Memory associated with the polygon unit. The mode extraction unit receives a data stream from a geometry unit and separates the data stream into vertices data, and non-vertices data which is sent to the Polygon Memory for storage. A mode injection unit receives inputs from the Polygon Memory and communicates the mode information to one or more other processing units. The mode injection unit maintains status information identifying the information that is already cached and not sending information that is already cached, thereby reducing communication bandwidth.
摘要:
A method and apparatus for synchronizing the execution of a sequence of graphics pipelines is provided. For a representative embodiment a sequence of graphics pipelines are connected in a daisy-chain sequence. Each pipeline operation can be controlled to operated in one of two modes. The first is a local mode where the pipeline outputs its own digital video data. The second is a pass-through mode where the pipeline outputs digital video data received from preceding graphics pipelines. The pipelines are configured to allow an application executing on a host process to select the next pipeline that will enter local mode operation. The pipeline that is selected to enter local mode operation asserts a local ready signal when it is ready to begin outputting its digital video information. Each of the pipelines monitors the state of a global ready signal. When the global ready signal becomes asserted it means that the pipeline that is selected to enter local mode operation is ready. It also means that all other pipelines that are configured to work in parallel with the sequence of pipelines are ready. At this time, selected the selected pipeline enters local mode operation. The remaining pipelines in the sequence either enter or remain in pass-through mode operation.
摘要:
To accelerate drawing input processing, a plurality of drawing pipelines 20 are provided and each drawing pipeline comprises a queue 21, a density data generator 23, a multiplier 24, an accumulator 25, and a cache 26. A stroke is divided, for example, into four, and allocated to each drawing pipeline 20. By each drawing pipeline 20, a next pixel is processed after a former pixel is processed for a plurality of patches according to the scan order.
摘要:
A computer graphics system having a hyperpipe architecture. Multiple rendering pipes are coupled together through a hyperpipe network scheme. Each of the rendering pipes are capable of rendering primitives for an entire frame or portions thereof. This enables multiple rendering pipes to process graphics data at the same time. A controller coordinates the multiple rendering pipes by sending requests to the appropriate rendering pipes to retrieve the pixel data generated by that particular pipe. It then merges the pixel data received from the various rendering pipes. A single driver then draws the three-dimensional image out for display.
摘要:
Three-dimensional computer graphics systems and methods and more particularly to structure and method for a three-dimensional graphics processor and having other enhanced graphics processing features. In one embodiment the graphics processor is a Deferred Shading Graphics Processor (DSGP) comprising an AGP interface, a command fetch & decode (2000), a geometry unit (3000), a mode extraction (4000) and polygon memory (5000), a sort unit (6000) and sort memory (7000), a setup unit (8000), a cull unit (9000), a mode injection (10000), a fragment unit (11000), a texture (12000) and texture memory (13000) a phong shading (14000), a pixel unit (15000), a backend unit (1600) coupled to a frame buffer (17000). Other embodiments need not include all of these functional units, and the structures and methods of these units are applicable to other computational processes and systems as well as deferred and non-deferred shading graphical processors.
摘要:
A method and apparatus in a data processing system for processing graphics data in a processing element. A command is received. A determination is then made as to whether the command affects processing of current graphics data within the processing element. The command is sent to a subsequent processing element if the processing element is unaffected by the command. The command is held without affecting the processing element if the command affects processing of the current graphics data within the processing element until processing of the current graphics data has completed.
摘要:
A data aware clustered system architecture is described for an image generation system. The architecture leverages commodity personal computers to provide the processing capability of the image generator such as may be used in a flight simulator. The architecture supports a data pipeline for processing stages of a progressive data structure for the transformation of data from abstract data to a more concrete form for the generation of an image. The architecture provides a multi-staged data flow that extends transparently from a single node system to multiple CPUs in a single node system, to multiple nodes in a clustered system or to multiple CPUs on each node of a clustered system.
摘要:
A deferred graphics pipeline processor comprised of a mode extraction unit and a Polygon Memory associated with the polygon unit. The mode extraction unit receives a data stream from a geometry unit and separates the data stream into vertices data, and non-vertices data which is sent to the Polygon Memory for storage. A a mode injection unit receives inputs from the Polygon Memory and communicates the mode information to one or more other processing units. The mode injection unit maintains status information identifying the information that is already cached and not sending information that is already cached, thereby reducing communication bandwidth.
摘要:
In a graphics pipeline, a rasterizer circuit generates fragments for an image having multiple surfaces that have been tessellated into primitive objects, such as triangles. First and second fragments are associated with the same pixel. A merge buffer merges the first fragment with the second fragment when the two fragments belong to the same tessellated surface, the first fragment's primitive is adjacent to the second fragment's primitive, both fragments face either toward or away from the viewer, and the first and second fragment are sufficiently similar that merging is unlikely to introduce visually objectionable artifacts. A frame buffer receives fragments from the merge buffer, stores the fragments, combines the fragments into pixels, and outputs the pixels to a display.