Webtv Networks, Inc.

Other

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Mei-Chi M Liu

Adrian Sfarti

Paolo Enrique Sabella

Jeffrey Andrews

Nicholas Robert Baker

Adam Malamy

Robert Laker

Nicholas M Baker

Edouard Landau

John Cumming

A system and method for pipelining three-dimensional graphical data in which two-dimensional renderings of objects are created from polygon data by transforming and lighting each polygonal vertex and then connecting the vertices.

System and method for organizing data for a 3-dimensional graphics pipeline

Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline that includes (N) physical texture units and one or more associated buffers emulates a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel. During each texture pass only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform look-ups on a given pass for the corresponding N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes are blended by texture blenders to provide composite texture values. In successive passes, the buffers are used for temporary data and the most current composite texture values. The process is repeated until all desired texture maps are applied.

Applying multiple texture maps to objects in three-dimensional imaging processes

Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline is used that includes one or more (N) physical texture units and one or more associated frame buffers to emulate a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are actually physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel of a frame. During each texture pass for each pixel of a frame, only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer number of passes. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform the look-ups on a given pass for the correspondingly bound N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes for each pixel are blended by complementary texture blenders to provide composite texture values for each of the pixels of the frame. In successive passes, the frame buffers are used to support any necessary extra temporary data and to store the most current composite texture values for all of the pixels of the frame. The process is repeated until all desired texture maps are applied in order to render the desired three-dimensional object.

A graphics rendering system creates an image based on objects constructed of polygonal primitives, which can generate the perception of three-dimensional objects displayed on a two-dimensional display device. An anti-aliasing operation is applied to silhouette edges of the objects, which are the edges of primitives which are displayed at the perimeter of an object. A silhouette edge can be identified by determining how many times an edge is rendered, with each instance of the rendering of an edge corresponding to the rendering of a primitive that adjoins the edge. An edge that is rendered exactly once is interpreted as a silhouette edge. An example of a silhouette edge is an edge that adjoins one triangular primitive that is viewable and another triangular primitive that is hidden from view by other primitives. Another technique for identifying a silhouette edge can be applied to closed objects by determining whether a first primitive adjoining an edge is hidden from view by other primitives and a second primitive also adjoining the edge is viewable. Once the silhouette edges are identified, the anti-aliasing operation is applied thereto.

Identifying silhouette edges of objects to apply anti-aliasing

Performing graphics rendering without the computational expense of hither plane clipping and with only a minimum of display image clipping. Where a three dimensional polygon crosses to both sides of a hither plane, any vertices on the back side of the hither plane are translated to the hither plane, producing polygons which occupy only the area in front of the hither plane. A display image memory, from which display images are generated, is located within a larger guard memory such that many images which would need to be clipped to fit in the display image memory may be written to the guard memory without clipping.

Guard region and hither plane vertex modification for graphics rendering

A graphics rendering system creates an image based on objects constructed of polygonal primitives. Aliasing effects in the image are reduced by applying an anti-aliasing scheme to the areas of the image representing silhouette edges of the objects. The silhouette edges are anti-aliased by creating anti-aliasing primitives which vary in opacity. These anti-aliasing primitives are joined to the silhouetted edges, and create a region in the image where the objects appear to blend into the background.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Mei-Chi M Liu