Arm Limited

Atmel Corporation

Andreas Engh Halstvedt

Frode Milch Pedersen

Kai Kristian Amundsen

Jorn Nystad

Frode Heggelund

Sean Tristram Ellis

Sandeep Kakarlapudi

Joe D Tapply

Jean-Christophe Glas

A graphics processing pipeline determines whether respective graphics processing operations, such as respective blends, respective depth tests, etc., to be performed at a stage of the graphics processing pipeline would produce the same result for each sampling point of a set of plural sampling points represented by a fragment being processed by the graphics processing pipeline. If it is determined that respective graphics processing operations would produce the same result for each of the sampling points, then only a single instance of the graphics processing operation is performed and the result of that graphics processing operation is associated with each of the sampling points. The number of instances of the graphics processing operations needed to process the set of plural sampling points which the fragment represents is reduced in comparison to conventional multisampling graphics processing techniques which perform graphics processing operations for fragments on a 'per sample' basis. The determination of whether or not the same result would be produced for each sampling point of the set of plural sampling points is facilitated by providing metadata which indicates whether or not fragment data and/or stored sample data for use when processing the sampling points is the same.

Method and apparatus for graphics processing of a graphics fragment

In a graphics processing pipeline, a primitive depth sorting stageis arranged prior to the rasterization stageand rendering stage. The primitive depth sorting stageoperates to sort successive sub-sets of primitives in a stream of primitivesreceived by the graphics processing pipelinebased on their depth values. The so-sorted primitives are then output from the primitive depth sorting stagein their sorted depth order to the rasterizer. This makes the depth test stagesof the graphics processing pipelinemore efficient in their hidden surface removal operations, because the primitives entering the rasterizerwill be in depth order.

Hidden surface removal in graphics processing systems

System and methods transfer data over a microcontroller system test interface. The system can read data from and write data to microcontroller system memory using the described method. The method provides for the efficient transfer of data, minimizing redundancies and overhead present in conventional microcontroller test system protocols.

Accessing sequential data in a microcontroller

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Trondheim, Norway

Andreas Engh Halstvedt