International Business Machines Corporation

Nvidia Corporation

Bengt-Olaf Schneider

Chandrasekhar Narayanaswami

Nicholas R Dono

Steven E Molnar

Christian Amsinck

Jeffrey A Bolz

James Lewis Van Welzen

Clifford A Pickover

John Stephen Montrym

Sameh W Asaad

Eric Brian Lum

Rui Manuel Bastos

Jai P Menon

James Sargent Lipscomb

Daniel P Wilde

Robert Spencer Horton

Kevin Wilson Warren

Mark J French

Thomas Y Kwok

Thomas Yu-Kiu Kwok

William Louis Luken

Ernest Nelson Mandese

Andrei Khodakovsky

Ioana Maria Martin

Mark Christopher Fowler

Daniel Peter Dumarot

Mark Van Horn

Kirk Steffen Haskell

David Alan Stevenson

James Randall Moulic

Adelbert Smith

Jarolsaw R Rossignac

Abraham E Megahed

Jerome Francis Duluk, Jr

Henry Packard Moreton

John Peter Karidis

James Michael O'Connor

John H Edmondson

Stephen Donald Lew

James M Van Dyke

Steven James Heinrich

Michael J M Toksvig

Yi-Min Chee

James Randal Moulic

Daniel Alan Brokenshire

Peter B Holmqvist

Gary C King

Scott Douglas Lekuch

Jonathan J Dunaisky

Ramesh Jandhyala

Chandra Narayanaswami

Steve Mastrianni

Sreenivasulu Kesavarapu

Weizhong Xu

J&uuml;rgen Haas

Nicolas Richard Dono

Toby Maners

Simon Butcher

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for coalescing memory access requests. A plurality of memory access requests is received in a thread execution order and a portion of the memory access requests are coalesced into memory order, where memory access requests included in the portion are generated by threads in a thread block. A memory operation is generated that is transmitted to a memory system, where the memory operation represents the coalesced portion of memory access requests.

Coalescing texture access and load/store operations

A raster operations (ROP) unit is configured to compress stencil values included in a stencil buffer. The ROP unit divides the stencil values into groups, subdivides each group into two halves, and selects an anchor value for each half. If the difference between each of the stencil values and the corresponding anchor lies within an offset range, and the difference between the two anchors lies within a delta range, then the group is compressible. For a compressible group, the ROP unit encodes the anchor value, offsets from anchors, and an anchor delta. This encoding enables the ROP unit to operate on the compressed group instead of the uncompressed stencil values, reducing the number of memory and computational operations associated with the stencil values. Consequently, the ROP unit reduces memory bandwidth use, reduces power consumption, and increases rendering rate compared to conventional ROP units that implement less flexible compression techniques.

Stencil buffer data compression

A system, method, and computer program product enable compression with programmable sample locations, where the compression is a function of the programmable sample locations. The method includes the steps of storing a first value specifying a programmed sample location within a pixel in a sample pattern table and storing, in a memory, geometric surface parameters corresponding to a first attribute at the programmed sample location within a first pixel of a display surface. An instruction to store a second value specifying the programmed sample location within the pixel in the sample pattern table is received. The attribute is reconstructed based on the geometric surface parameters and the first value.

System, method, and computer program product for using compression with programmable sample locations

A system, method, and computer program product enable compression with programmable sample locations, where the compression is a function of the programmable sample locations. The method includes the steps of storing a first value specifying a programmed sample location within a pixel in a first sample pattern table that is associated with a first display surface and storing, in a memory, geometric surface parameters corresponding to a first attribute at the programmed sample location within a first pixel of the first display surface. A second value specifying the programmed sample location within the pixel in a second sample pattern table that is associated with a second display surface is also stored and the first attribute is reconstructed based on the geometric surface parameters and the first value.

A method for compressing graphics data, the method comprising sorting a plurality of coverage masks into an order of descending number of samples covered by the plurality of coverage masks. A first coverage mask is identified. The first coverage mask comprises a greatest number of covered samples. Additional coverage masks of the plurality of coverage masks are compacted in the order of descending number of samples covered. Compacting additional coverage masks comprises removing samples from the coverage mask that are covered by any other compacted coverage mask.

Coverage compaction

A method for compressing graphics data comprises selecting z-planes from a plurality of z-planes. The selected z-planes are predictor z-planes. A residual is determined for each sample not covered by one of the predictor z-planes. A sample is covered by one of the predictor z-planes when the predictor z-plane correctly defines a z-value of the sample. A residual comprises a value that is a difference between a predicted z-value provided by one of the predictor z-planes and an actual z-value for the sample. The predictor z-planes and the residuals are stored in a z-buffer.

Z-plane compression with z-plane predictors

A technique for handling floating-point special values, e.g., Infinity, NaN, &#x2212;Zero, and denorms, during blend operations is provided so that blend operations on fragment color values that contain special values can be performed in compliance with special value handling rules. In particular, the presence of special values is detected or the potential presence of special values is detected. This information is used to qualify when blend optimizations may be performed, so that floating point blend operations can remain conformant to special value handling rules.

Blend optimizations that are conformant to floating-point rules

Embodiments of the present invention sets forth a method and system for reducing memory bandwidth requirements for an anti-aliasing operation. The first virtual coverage information for a pixel involved in an anti-aliasing operation is maintained in memory. If a certain operating condition of the anti-aliasing operation deterministically implies the second virtual coverage information for this pixel, the second virtual coverage information, as opposed to the first virtual coverage information, is used in the anti-aliasing operation. In such situations, since the virtual coverage information is implied, it does not have to be accessed from memory, thereby improving overall system performance.

Method and system for reducing memory bandwidth requirements in an anti-aliasing operation

A z buffer stores compressed z data represented in a planar format for one or more tiles. The compressed format includes a set of tile specific coefficients defining a plane equation for each z tested primitive intersecting the tile. The z buffer stores a maximum number of sets of tile specific coefficients for each tile, and when the maximum number of sets is exceeded for a particular tile, an uncompressed format is used to store the z data for the particular tile.

Planar z representation for z compression

Methods and arrangements for facilitating the integration of devices, such as hardware components, with a computer operating system or the like. Contemplated herein are self-describing devices that serve to eliminate one or more intermediate steps commonly encountered heretofore.

Methods and apparatus for self describing devices

There is furnished a method for providing an individual temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system (CA computer). The CA computer has a plurality of application programs associated therewith. The method includes the step of detecting the coupling of a portable storage device to the CA computer. The storage device has stored therein an access code for indicating whether the user is authorized to temporarily access the CA computer and information including computing preferences of the individual. It is determined whether the individual is authorized to temporarily access the CA computer, based on the access code. The CA computer is modified in accordance with the information stored in the storage device and temporary access is provided to the CA computer, when the individual is authorized to temporarily access the CA computer. The activity of at least one of the individual and the CA computer is monitored, until the storage device is de-coupled from the CA computer. A bill is generated based on the monitoring. The bill is automatically provided to a predetermined billing mechanism.

Method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system

A method of optimizing the operation of a computer system in running application programs in accordance with system capabilities, user preferences and configuration parameters of the application program. More specifically, with this invention, an optimizing program gathers information on the system capabilities, user preferences and configuration parameters of the application program to maximize the operation of the application program or computer system. Further, user selected rules of operation can be selected by dragging rule icons to target optimizer icon.

System and method for optimizing computer software and hardware

A system and method are provided for the compression of pixel data for communicating the same with a frame buffer. Initially, a plurality of samples is received. It is first determined whether the samples are reducible, in that a single sample value can take the place of a plurality of sample values. If it is determined that the samples are capable of being reduced, the samples are reduced. Reduction is a first stage of compression. It is then determined whether the samples are capable of being compacted. The samples are then compacted if it is determined that the samples are capable of being compacted. Compaction is a second stage of compression. The samples are then communicated with a frame buffer, in compressed form, if possible, in uncompressed form if not. Subsequent reading of frame buffer data takes advantage of the smaller transfer size of compressed data. Compressed data is uncompacted and expanded as necessary for further processing or display. Where possible, data is processed reduced, rather than expanded, to minimize the amount of processing required and transfer bandwidth required. This system and method accelerate the rendering and display of computer-generated images.

System and method for real-time compression of pixel colors

A computer system, includes a mobile computer, a docking station for receiving the mobile computer, a bridge having a first side coupled to the mobile computer and a second side coupled to the docking station, and a flat panel display formed with the docking station for being coupled to the mobile computer via the docking station. The docking station includes a dock housing coupled to a desktop display and including a first bus, and a bridge coupled between the first bus and a second bus, the first bus residing in the dock housing and the second bus for being coupled to the mobile computer.

All-in-one mobile docking station and system used therewith

Client-server graphics transmission system wherein component capabilities are provided at the server and client locations for the following: to gather three dimensional graphics transmission performance parameters, including client rendering capabilities, server load, network bandwidth and optionally-provided user preferences; to evaluate the potential performance of different transmission methods which could be used to communicate a graphics data set from the server to the client; to choose and request a transmission method based upon the evaluating; to format the requested data set for transmission; and to provide the formatted data set for rendering at the display hardware associated with the client.

Method and system for providing three-dimensional graphics over computer networks

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Yorktown Heights, NY, United States of America

Bengt-Olaf Schneider