摘要:
A system and method for rasterizing and rendering graphics data is disclosed. Vertices may be grouped to form primitives such as triangles, which are rasterized using two-dimensional arrays of samples bins. Individual samples may be selected from the bins according to different criteria such as memory bank allocation to improve utilization of the system's rendering pipeline. Since the arrays may have more bins than the number of evaluation units in the rendering pipeline, the samples from the bins may be stored to FIFO memories to allow invalid or empty samples (those outside the primitive being rendered) to be removed. The samples may then be filtered to form pixels that are displayable to form an image on a display device.
摘要:
A graphics system includes a frame buffer, a write address generator, and a pixel buffer. A burst of pixels received from the frame buffer may not be in display order. In one embodiment, a write address generator calculates a write address for each pixel in the burst of pixels output from the frame buffer. The write address corresponds to a relative display order within the burst for each respective pixel. Each pixel in the burst is stored to its write address in the pixel buffer. This way, the pixels in the burst are stored in display order within the pixel buffer.
摘要:
An external cache management unit for use with 3D-RAM and suitable for use in a computer graphics system is described. The unit maintains and tracks the status of level one cache memory in the 3D-RAM. The unit identifies dirty blocks of cache memory and prioritizes block cleansing based on a least used algorithm. Periodic block cleansing during empty memory cycles is provided for, and may also be prompted on demand.
摘要:
An external cache management unit for use with a 3D-RAM frame buffer and suitable for use in a computer graphics system is described. The unit may reduce power consumption within the 3D-RAM by performing partial block write-back according to status information stored in an array of dirty tag bits. Periodic level one cache block cleansing is provided for during empty memory cycles.
摘要:
A graphics system may include a frame buffer that includes several sets of one or more memory banks and a cache. The frame buffer may load data from one of the memory banks into the cache in response to receiving a cache fill request. Each set of memory banks is accessible independently of each other set of memory banks. A frame buffer interface coupled to the frame buffer includes a plurality of cache fill request queues. Each cache fill request queue is configured to store one or more cache fill requests targeting a corresponding one of the sets of memory banks. The frame buffer interface is configured to select a cache fill request from one of the cache fill request queues that stores cache fill requests targeting a set of memory banks that is not currently being accessed and to provide the selected cache fill request to the frame buffer.
摘要:
An external cache management unit for use with a 3D-RAM frame buffer and suitable for use in a computer graphics system is described. The unit may reduce power consumption within the 3D-RAM by performing partial block write-back according to status information stored in an array of dirty tag bits. Periodic level one cache block cleansing is provided for during empty memory cycles.
摘要:
A system for managing the control of a bi-directional data bus between a master unit and a slave unit. The master couples to the slave through a request opcode bus, a reply opcode bus and the data bus. If the master is in a bus driving state (with respect to the data bus) and receives a read request, the master relinquishes bus control and sends a read request through the request opcode bus. The slave unit assumes bus control and sends the requested data through the data bus. If the master is in a bus sensing state and receives a write request, the master sends a last read opcode to the slave via the request opcode bus, and waits for the slave to return a special token through the reply opcode bus. Upon receiving the special token the master unit assumes bus control and performs the write transaction.
摘要:
A graphics system may include a frame buffer, a processing device coupled to access data in the frame buffer, a frame buffer interface coupled to the frame buffer, and an output controller configured to assert a request for display data to provide to a display device. The frame buffer interface may receive the request for display data from the output controller and delay providing the request for display data to the frame buffer if the processing device is currently requesting access to a portion of the frame buffer targeted by the request for display data. For example, if the frame buffer includes several memory banks and the request for display data targets a first bank, the frame buffer interface may delay providing the request for display data to the frame buffer if the processing device is currently requesting access to the first bank.
摘要:
A system, method and computer program product are provided for packing graphics attributes. In use, a plurality of graphics attributes is identified. Such graphics attributes are packed, such that the packed graphics attributes are capable of being processed utilizing a pixel shader.
摘要:
A method for thread address mapping in a parallel thread processor. The method includes receiving a thread address associated with a first thread in a thread group; computing an effective address based on a location of the thread address within a local window of a thread address space; computing a thread group address in an address space associated with the thread group based on the effective address and a thread identifier associated with a first thread; and computing a virtual address associated with the first thread based on the thread group address and a thread group identifier, where the virtual address is used to access a location in a memory associated with the thread address to load or store data.