Nvidia Corporation

Scott C Heeschen

Ming Benjamin Zhu

Edward Anthony Hutchins

Benjamin J Garlick

Sanjay O Gupta

Methods and systems for optimizing graphics data processing employ various binning flush algorithms to optimize the utilization of binning memory in a graphics system. Binning flush algorithms provide for processing all geometry and commands binned up to the point the binning memory becomes unavailable, and storing and restoring all necessary intermediate data generated during the partial tile rendering.

Binning flush in graphics data processing

A method performed in a graphics processor associates at least a portion (e.g. a triangle) of each primitive received from a CPU with each tile that is affected by the primitive (e.g. by storing the triangle in one or more tile-specific buffers, also called simply &ldquo;tile buffer&rdquo;). Moreover, the method stores packets that contain commands (also called &ldquo;render commands&rdquo;) for rendering the primitives (also called &ldquo;command packets&rdquo;) in a common buffer (called &ldquo;broadcast buffer&rdquo;), thereby to eliminate storage of the same commands in each tile buffer. The method repeats the just-described acts of associating primitives and storing command packets for each of a number of packets of primitives and commands that are generated by an application program for the display of a single frame. At a later time, the method uses the command packets from the broadcast buffer with primitives (or portions thereof) in each tile buffer tile, e.g. in one embodiment renders an image. The same render commands that are held in the broadcast buffer are used repeatedly, once for each tile buffer.

circuit and method for processing render commands in a tile-based graphics system

A system and method implemented in hardware are provided to optimize rendering of a computer graphics image, which may be displayed in an image frame comprising a number of tiles. The system and method determine each tile in the image frame touched by a geometry (e.g., a triangle). Graphics data for the geometry is selectively stored into a separate, corresponding portion of memory for each tile touched by the geometry. The graphics data stored in each portion of memory can be readily accessed and used to render a portion of the image in the respective tile of the image frame.

Optimized system and method for binning of graphics data

A method performed in a graphics processor postpones the processing of one or more changes in render state until after one or more tiles that are affected by a primitive are identified (e.g. by use of a bounding box around the primitive to identify tiles within the bounding box, or by visiting an area enclosed by vertex tiles and edge tiles of the primitive to identify tiles covered by the primitive). The method may be performed by: storing value(s) of render state(s) on receipt, receiving one or more primitives affected by the render state(s), identifying from among a number of render state(s) whose values are being stored one or more render state(s) whose values have changed since last update to a tile covered by a received primitive, and associating with the covered tile the changed render states. Such a deliberate delay in association of changed render states eliminates the need to process render state(s) for tiles that are not identified as being covered by a received primitive, and render states that have not changed for such tiles, thus saving processing power and memory bandwidth. Identification of a render state that has changed since the last update to a tile can be accomplished in any manner, e.g. (1) by storage of a sequence signal (such as a time stamp) that indicates the order in which render states (and optionally primitives) are received, and are updated to a tile, or (2) by comparison of render state values that were previously updated to a tile, with the most current render state values, or (3) by some combination of (1) and (2).

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Campbell, CA, United States of America

Scott C Heeschen