Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Other

Howard D Stroyan

Kevin T Lefebvre

Ross Cunniff

Samuel C Sands

Steven J Kommrusch

Daniel G Schmidt

Byron Alan Alcorn

Don B Hoffman

Joseph Norman Gee

Randy L Bailey

Norman Gee

A method of assembling a composite image comprising generating three-dimensional data defining a non-stereo image, assigning a first screen portion to a first rendering node, assigning a second screen portion to a second rendering node, rendering, by the first rendering node, a left image portion from the three-dimensional data, rendering, by the second rendering node, a right image portion from the three-dimensional data, and sequentially assembling the left image portion and the right image portion into the composite image is provided.

Method, node, and network for compositing a three-dimensional stereo image from an image generated from a non-stereo application

Method, node, and network for compositing a three-dimensional stereo image from a non-stereo application

A graphical display system of the present invention efficiently performs occlusion culling based on frame-to-frame temporal coherency. The graphical display system utilizes a frame buffer and rendering logic. The rendering logic is configured to receive graphical objects that define an image frame. In response to receiving one of the objects, the rendering logic is configured to make a determination as to whether the one object is visible in a previous image frame that was previously rendered to the frame buffer. The rendering logic is further configured to render the one object to the frame buffer based on the determination.

System and method for occlusion culling graphical data

A method and apparatus is provided for performing occlusion testing in a computer graphics display system. The apparatus comprises logic configured to determine whether or not an object of a current image frame was occluded in a previous image frame. If a determination is made that the object was not occluded in the previous image frame, then the logic causes the object of the current image frame to be rendered to a frame buffer of the computer graphics display system. The current and previous image frames are each comprised of a plurality of objects, and the logic determines whether or not each of the objects of the current image frame were occluded in the previous image frame. The logic causes any objects of the current image frame that were not occluded in the previous image frame to be rendered to the frame buffer. Once all of the objects of the current image frame that were not occluded in the previous image frame have been rendered to the frame buffer, the logic determines whether or not any of the rendered objects of the current image frame are occluded. If the logic determines that a particular rendered object of the current image frame is not occluded, the logic determines whether or not the particular object was occluded in the previous image frame. If so, then the logic determines that a prediction error has occurred because the object was not rendered even though it is visible. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, when the logic determines that a prediction error has occurred, it causes the visible object to be rendered to the frame buffer to correct the error. In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, the logic waits until all of the objects have been tested and then causes all of the visible objects to be rendered to the frame buffer.

Method and apparatus for performing occlusion testing while exploiting frame to frame temporal coherence

The present invention is generally directed to a system and method for anti-aliasing edges of adjacent primitives. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method operates by determining whether a pixel is an edge pixel of a filled primitive, approximating a coverage area of the pixel, the coverage area being the area of the pixel interior to the primitive edge, determining a direction from the pixel center to an external edge of the primitive, and blending a first color of the primitive with a second color, the second color being a color of a pixel of a second primitive adjacent the external edge. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system is provided having frame buffer circuitry uniquely configured for rendering an anti-aliased graphics scene. In accordance with one embodiment, the frame buffer circuitry includes a first memory segment for storing color values associated with pixels, a second memory segment for storing alpha values associated with the pixels, a third memory segment for storing depth values associated with the pixels, and a fourth memory segment for storing anti-alias blending information associated with the pixels.

System and method for reducing the effects of aliasing in a computer graphics system

An improved method of incorporating a high performance graphics device into a base graphics subsystem of a processor includes two pairs of interface chips. One pair of interface chips is used to transfer pixel data between a base graphics system and the high performance graphics device, while the second pair of interface chips is used to transfer commands between the graphics device and the base graphics system. One of the pair of interface chips that is used to transfer pixel data is coupled to a bus within the base graphics subsystem while the second one of the pair is coupled to the graphics device. With such an arrangement, a high speed interface allows for pixel data to be fed directly to the frame buffer of the graphics subsystem, enabling the windows that are rendered by two different graphics systems to share a frame buffer memory.

Multiple graphics pipeline integration with a windowing system through

A fast method for rendering opaque and transparent objects that produces a higher quality image at a greater speed for a given level of hardware support. Opaque objects are rendered first utilizing the z-buffer as a solids only depth buffer. Transparent objects are then rendered in multiple passes. Transparent objects are processed in a back to front order to eliminate surface anomalies. The z-buffer is utilized in an alternative mode so that the front-most surfaces of objects in a scene are processed last. Back-facing primitives of transparent objects are rendered and alpha blended first and then the front-facing primitives are rendered and alpha blended second.

Fast alpha transparency rendering method

A computer graphics system and method for capping a polyhedron made up of a plurality of polygons after the polyhedron has been sectioned by a designer to thereby provide a realistic display of the polyhedron. The computer graphics system first comprises at least one processor and at least one memory unit configured with the computer graphics system to process data. The computer graphics system further comprises an input device configured with the computer graphics system to allow the designer to specify the at least one sectioning plane. The computer graphics system further comprises a polyhedron capping module configured in the computer graphics system to instruct the at least one processor how to section and cap the polyhedron against the sectioning plane. The computer graphics system further comprises a display device configured with the computer graphics system to display the capped polyhedron.

Computer graphics system and method for capping volume enclosing

A computer graphics system configured to allow a user to move at least one sectioning plane about at least one polyhedron having a plurality of polygons and to display, if necessary, an interference area between the plurality of polygons is disclosed. The computer graphics system first comprises at least one processor and at least one memory unit configured with the computer graphics system to process data. The computer graphics system further comprises an input device configured with the computer graphics system to allow the user to specify the at least one sectioning plane. The computer graphics system further comprises an interference checking module configured with the computer graphics system to generate an interference cap polygon indicative of the interference area. The computer graphics system further comprises a display device configured with the computer graphics system to display the interference cap polygon.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Howard D Stroyan