Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Michael W Schimpf

Michael G Lavelle

Michael Wasserman

Nandini Ramani

Yan Yan Tang

Mark E Pascual

Glenn Gracon

Justin Michael Mahan

Steven Te-Chun Yu

A sample filtering system and method for concurrently filtering sample data for two or more sequential pixels (in a scan-line) are disclosed. The system may include a sample cache, a control register, a read cache controller, and a sample-to-pixel calculation unit. The read cache controller reads a first set of S samples from the sample cache, and outputs a second set of S samples to the sample-to-pixel calculation unit. The second set of samples may have one or more subsets of samples, with each subset of samples selected to cover the filter region for one of the sequential pixels. The sample-to-pixel calculation unit may process each subset separately and concurrently.

Parallel box filtering through reuse of existing circular filter

A signature capture and analysis system suitable for use in a high performance computer graphics system is described. The system employs a distributed network of signature analysis registers (SARs) which may be configured to capture and accumulate information from one or more channels of data over pre-defined periods of time. The SARs may be so distributed to allow for the isolation of faults to a sub-system level. The signature values developed in these SARs are, in some cases pre-seeded, and may include contributions from both data and control signals. Checking of the signature values against known good or expected outcomes is provided for. In some cases the SARs may be implemented as linear hybrid cellular automatons.

Signature analysis registers for testing a computer graphics system

A graphics system configured to operate on a collection of vertices to determine mappings from an initial order to secondary and tertiary ordering. The initial order corresponds to the ordering of the vertices in an input buffer. The secondary (tertiary) ordering corresponds to the ordering of the vertices along a triangle major (minor) axis. The graphics system computes horizontal and vertical displacements along edges of the triangle in the initial ordering, and uses the signs of the horizontal displacements and vertical displacements to access a mapping table which determines the mappings. The mappings may be used to rasterize the triangle in terms of pixels (or samples).

Mapping time-sorted to direction-sorted triangle vertices

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Pacific Grove, CA, United States of America

Michael W Schimpf