Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

Ati Technologies Ulc

Martin Marietta Corporation

Gregory C Buchner

Robert A Drebin

Andrew D Bowen

John Stephen Montrym

Mark Stefan Grossman

James L Foran

Dawn Maxon

Remi Simon Vincent Arnaud

Daniel T Chian

William A Kelly

James Bowman

A method and apparatus provides context switching of logic in an integrated circuit using one or more test scan circuits that use test data during a test mode of operation of the integrated circuit to store and/or restore non-test data during normal operation of the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes context control logic operative to control the test scan circuit to at least one of: store and restore context state information contained in functional storage elements in response to detection of a request for a change in context during normal operation of the integrated circuit.

Method and apparatus for providing context switching of logic in an integrated circuit using test scan circuitry

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.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing graphics pipelines

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.

Apparatus and method for utilizing multiple rendering pipes for a single 3-D display

A system and method of interactively generating computer graphic images for incorporating three dimensional textures. The method of the present invention includes defining an orientation of a polygon relative to a plurality of three dimensional (3D) texture data sets, determining a level of detail of a pixel associated with the polygon, and selecting a first 3D texture data set and a second 3D texture data set from the plurality of 3D texture data sets in accordance with the pixel level of detail. The method also includes mapping the pixel to a first position within the first 3D texture data set and to a second position within the second 3D texture data set in accordance with the orientation, and generating a display value for the pixel in accordance with the mapping of the pixel to the first and second positions.

System and method of generating interactive computer graphic images

An apparatus and method for interactively magnifying a base texture to generate a generally unblurred magnified image of the base texture is disclosed. The present invention includes a base texture generator for filtering a high resolution source image to generate a base texture. A detail texture generator extracts a representative portion of high frequency information from the source image to generate a detail texture, wherein the detail texture comprises the extracted representative portion of high frequency information. An image magnifier, which is coupled to the base texture generator and the detail texture generator, augments the generated base texture with high frequency information from the detail texture to thereby generate a magnified image of the generated base texture at a particular level of detail.

System and method for adding detail to texture imagery in computer

A system and method of interactively magnifying a first texture to generate a generally unblurred high resolution display image at a particular level of detail are disclosed. The method of the present invention includes the step of extrapolating from the first texture and a second texture to generate an extrapolated frequency band. The extrapolated frequency band approximates high frequency image information contained in a texture of higher resolution than the first texture. The method also includes scaling the extrapolated frequency band as a function of the particular level of detail to generate a scaled extrapolated frequency band, wherein the scaled extrapolated frequency band approximates high frequency image information contained in a magnified image of the first texture at the particular level of detail. The method of the present invention further includes augmenting the first texture using the scaled extrapolated frequency band to thereby generate a magnified image of the first texture at the particular level of detail.

System and method for sharpening texture imagery in computer generated

The effect of multi-layer atmospheric scattering on the visibility F of each point P on a visible surface of each polygon in a display scene, in a computer image generation (CIG) system, is provided by determining the effective average reciprocal half-fading distance between viewpoint and the viewed point, knowing the altitudes at which each of the different scattering layers start and accounting for any transitional slopes therebetween. The total reduced visibility of that viewed point P is a function of the average reciprocal half-fading distance for that point and of the total range between the viewed point P and the viewpoint VP.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Gregory C Buchner