Nvidia Corporation

Justin Cobb

Eric Brian Lum

Walter Robert Steiner

Henry Packard Moreton

Rui Manuel Bastos

Barry Nolan Rodgers

John Stephen Montrym

Steven E Molnar

Timo Oskari Aila

Tero Tapani Karras

Emmett Michael Kilgariff

Yury Y Uralsky

Christian Rouet

Christian Amsinck

Jonathan J Dunaisky

One embodiment of the present invention includes a method for rendering a geometry object in a computer-generated scene. A screen space associated with a display screen is divided into a set of regions. For each region; a first sampling factor in a horizontal dimension is computed that represents a horizontal sampling factor for pixels located in the region, a second sampling factor in a vertical dimension is computed that represents a vertical sampling factor for the pixels located in the region, a first offset in the horizontal dimension is computed that represents a horizontal position associated with the region, and a second offset in the vertical dimension is computed that represent a vertical position associated with the region. When the geometry object is determined to intersect more than one region, an instance of the geometry object is generated each region that the geometry object intersects.

Piecewise linear irregular rasterization

A system and method for decompressing compressed data (e.g., in a frame buffer) and optionally recompressing the data. The method includes determining a portion of an image to be accessed from a memory and sending a conditional read corresponding to the portion of the image. In response to the conditional read, an indicator operable to indicate that the portion of the image is uncompressed may be received. If the portion of the image is compressed, in response to the conditional read, compressed data corresponding to the portion of the image is received. In response to receiving the compressed data, the compressed data is uncompressed into uncompressed data. The uncompressed data may then be written to the memory corresponding to the portion of the image. The uncompressed data may then be in-place compressed for or during subsequent processing.

System and method for frame buffer decompression and/or compression

A technique for multiresolution consistent rasterization in which a setup unit calculates universal edge equations for a universal resolution. A rasterizer evaluates coverage data for two different resolutions based on the edge equations. The rasterizer evaluates coverage data for different effective pixel sizes&#x2014;a large pixel size and a small pixel size. Optionally, the rasterizer may determine a first set of coverage data by performing conservative rasterization to determine coverage data for large pixels. Optionally, the rasterizer may then determine a second set of coverage data by performing standard rasterization for small pixels. Optionally, for the second set of coverage data, the rasterizer may evaluate only the small pixels that are within large pixels in the first set of coverage data that evaluate as covered.

Multiresolution consistent rasterization

One embodiment includes determining a first z-range for a first portion of a coarse raster tile, where the first portion includes a plurality of pixels having a first set of pixel locations, retrieving from a memory a corresponding z-range related to a second set of pixel locations associated with the coarse raster tile, where the first set of pixel locations comprises a subset of the second set of pixel locations, and comparing the first z-range to the corresponding z-range to determine whether the plurality of pixels is occluded. If the plurality of pixels determined to be occluded, then the plurality of pixels is culled. If the plurality of pixels is determined to not be occluded, then the plurality of pixels is transmitted to a fine raster unit for further processing. The coarse raster tile comprises a plurality of portions, including the first portion, and those portions are processed serially.

Pixel serialization to improve conservative depth estimation

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for conservative rasterization of primitives using an error term. In use, an edge equation is determined for each edge of a primitive, the edge equation having coefficients defining the edge of the primitive. Each edge of the primitive is shifted to enlarge the primitive by modifying coefficients of the edge equation defining the edge by an error term that is a predetermined amount. Pixels that intersect the primitive are then determined using the enlarged primitive.

Conservative rasterization of primitives using an error term

A technique for early sample evaluation during coarse rasterization of primitives reduces the number of pixel tiles that are processed during fine rasterization of the primitive. A primitive bounding box determines when a primitive is small and may not actually cover any samples within at least one fine raster tile. Early sample evaluation is performed for the small primitive during coarse rasterization and the small primitive is discarded when no samples are actually covered by the small primitive. When the small primitive lies on a boundary between at least two fine raster tiles, early sample evaluation is performed during coarse rasterization to correctly identify which, if any, of the at least two fine raster tiles includes samples that are actually covered by the small primitive.

Early sample evaluation during coarse rasterization

A computer-implemented method for drawing graphical objects within a graphics processing pipeline is disclosed. The method includes determining that a bypass mode for a first primitive is a no-bypass mode. The method further includes rasterizing the first primitive to generate a first set of rasterization results. The method further includes generating a first set of colors for the first set of rasterization results via a pixel shader unit. The method further includes rasterizing a second primitive to generate a second set of rasterization results. The method further includes generating a second set of colors for the second set of rasterization results without the pixel shader unit performing any processing operations on the second set of rasterization results. The method further includes transmitting the first set of pixel colors and the second set of pixel colors to a raster operations (ROP) unit for further processing.

Growing community of inventors

Toney, AL, United States of America

Justin Cobb