Apple Inc.

Albert Suan-Wei Tsay

Jason Rupert Redgrave

Tuan Anh Nguyen

Jerome Francis Duluk, Jr

Joseph P Bratt

Emerson S Fang

Richard E Hessel

Abbas Rashid

Sushma Shrikant Trivedi

Vaughn Todd Arnold

Jack Benkual

Sidong Li

Shun Wai Go

Stephen L Dodgen

Hengwei Hsu

Matthew N Papakipos

Nathan D Tuck

George Cuan

Abraham Mammen

Sam Ng

Bo Hong

Zhaoyu Gong

Joseph P Grass

Lindy Fung

Thomas Y Ho

Thomas Y Yo

A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple?stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.

Deferred shading graphics pipeline processor having advanced features

A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple-stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Albert Suan-Wei Tsay