Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises

Seisuke Morioka

Keisuke Yasui

Masayuki A Suzuki

Junichi Naoi

Jun Okubo

Kenya Kitamura

Masaru Takano

Mikio Shinohara

Ryoji Kuroda

The present invention includes a processor, a storage device having compressed texture data, a texture buffer having decompressed texture data. The processor reads the compressed texture data from the storage device and decompresses the texture data. The processor then stores the decompressed texture data in the texture buffer.

Image processing wherein decompression and compression methods provide faster transmission of texture data between a texture buffer and Aprocessor than between a storage device and a processor

Disclosed are an antialiasing method and an image processing apparatus using the same, capable of high-quality image display without any significant reduction in processing speed and without any significant increase in the apparatus scale. Pixel data contains information on a subpixel mask indicative of region which a polygon occupies within a pixel. Based on data sets consisting of the subpixel masks and color data contained in the pixel data, display colors are determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

Antialiasing method and image processing apparatus using same

A computer graphic system wherein image element data can be processed efficiently at a high speed, and images of higher quality are produced at a lower cost than conventional. An image processor for dividing a screen into regions (fragments) of predetermined sizes and processing data on every divided region (fragment), wherein pieces of information on image constituting elements are rearranged in a direction vertical to a scanning line (ST1), the pieces of information on the image constituting elements are rearranged in a direction parallel to the scanning line (ST2), and image processing for opaque polygons, polygons with transparent pixels, and semitransparent polygons is performed in the order of mention on the basis of the rearranged pieces of information (ST3 to ST6).

Image processor and image processing method

The present invention is characterized by first performing the necessary rendering in the frame period, then during the remaining time of that frame period, rewriting the texture data in the texture buffer memory. The image rendering process for each frame is performed first, then after the rendering process has been completed for the frame, if there is remaining time, that time is used to rewrite the texture data. Therefore, the rendering process is not interrupted, the displayed image is not interrupted or frozen, and it is possible to rewrite the texture data in the small-capacity texture buffer memory and make it possible to use virtually a lot of texture data to render one scene.

Image processing method and image processing apparatus

The object is to increase the efficiency of processing by conferring the residual image function on hardware and to provide an image processing device wherein processing is implemented at higher speed. In an image processing device equipped with an image memory and a control section that writes generated image data to the image memory, there is provided a blend circuit that reads image memory or image data from image memory and attenuates the read image data and that writes this together with newly generated image data into another image memory, thereby producing a residual image effect.

Image processing device and image processing method

An image processing apparatus of the present invention conducts update processing of MIPMAP-format texture data within an updateable range, and during drawing processing, it ascertains the level of detail to which texture data has been updated. Thereupon, when conducting texture mapping, texture data of the level of detail for which updating has been completed is used. In this case, if the required texture data has not been updated, then it is substituted by texture data for which updating has been completed. Consequently, even in cases where updating of all texture data is not completed in time, it is possible to prevent significant distortion of the image due to mixing of updated and non-updated texture.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium

A table is used in forming spotlight characteristics that impart illumination effects to polygon images displayed by an image processing system, and the number of light sources that can be used in an image scene is increased above the number of light sources that can be used simultaneously. In order to realize this, a method of forming spotlight effect characteristics attached to pixels configuring polygons is proposed wherein a plurality of characteristic values corresponding to a prescribed spotlight characteristic curve is held in a table, and said spotlight characteristic curve is formed from characteristic values read out from the table and from interpolated values found by interpolating between adjacent characteristic values. Inner products are found between spot light axis vectors and light vectors extending toward pixels, these values of inner products so found are used as addresses, and characteristic values are read out from appropriate addresses of the table. Also comprised are a buffer for preserving data on light sources exceeding the number of light sources that can be used simultaneously by the image processing system, means for attaching light source identifier symbols in a number equal to the number of light sources affecting each polygon, means for reading out light source information from the buffer according to the light source identifier symbol, and means for performing shading according to the light source information.

Spotlight characteristic forming method and image processor using the same

Disclosed are an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, which can efficiently execute a hidden-surface process, a blending process on translucent polygons and a shading process by a light source all in a rendering process. An image processing method for generating image data for displaying a plurality of polygons comprises: a mask generation step of receiving polygon data including position data of the polygons in the display screen, generating first mask data indicating effective pixel areas of the polygons in a display screen and Z values indicating depths in the display screen for respective effective pixels from the polygon data, generating second mask data having, as an effective pixel area, a pixel area having a Z value in the foreground of a Z value of another processed polygon among the effective pixel areas of the first mask data, executing an exclusion operation to delete the effective pixel area of the generated second mask data from the effective pixel area of generated second mask data of another polygon to thereby generate trans mask data, and performing generation of the trans mask data polygon by polygon; and a rendering step of implementing a rendering process on each of the polygons with respect to the effective pixel area, indicated by trans mask data generated in the mask generation step.

Image processing apparatus

The present invention relates to an image processing device comprising a rendering processing section for generating color data for pixels which are to be displayed from polygon data including at least a polygon ID, positional co-ordinates data and parameters for generating color data attributed thereto. The image processing device includes a polygon buffer memory for storing color data for pixels in a flame. The rendering processing section includes a first processing section (,) for generating Z values of pixels in respective polygons in the frame and for storing Z values for pixels to be displayed on the screen and the polygon ID corresponding thereto in a Z value buffer memory. The rendering processing section includes a second processing section (,) for generating color data from the parameters attributed to the polygon IDs stored in the Z buffer memory for each pixels in the frame and for storing the color data in the frame buffer memory.

Image processing device, image processing method, and storage medium for storing image processing programs

A method of the present invention relates to a method of blending a plurality of pixels on a texture map and to a plural pixel blending circuit and image processing device using this is disclosed. The method of blending a plurality of pixels on a texture map corresponding to the pixels constituting a polygon, thereby finding texture data to be pasted on to the pixels constituting the polygon, includes the steps of: determining whether or not there are transparent pixels in said plurality of pixels on the texture map; if there are no transparent pixels, blending said plurality of pixels on the texture map in accordance with the ratio with which a pixel constituting the polygon corresponds therewith; if some of the plurality of pixels on the texture map are transparent pixels, substituting the transparent pixels by other adjacent pixels which are not transparent; and if all of the plurality of pixels on the texture map are transparent pixels, ignoring the plurality of pixels on the texture map.

Method of blending a plurality of pixels on a texture map and a plural

An image processing apparatus for generating image data to be displayed on a predetermined display screen, comprises an image data generator for receiving polygon information of a polygon including at least position information on the display screen and generating image data corresponding to pixels in the polygon; a frame buffer memory for storing image data pixel by pixel; a blur-value buffer memory for storing information of a degree of influence of the image data of each pixel on pixels therearound, as a blur value, in a predetermined pixel unit; and a blur processor for performing an arithmetic operation on the image data of each pixel, read from the frame buffer memory, in accordance with the degree of influence from surrounding pixels, read from the blur-value buffer memory, to generate image data to be displayed on the display screen, and by a method for this apparatus.

Image processing apparatus and method

A polygon data sorting method and a polygon data sorting system is disclosed where the required memory capacity is not affected by changes in target data. The method sorts polygon data stored in an arbitrary order in an increasing or decreasing direction of a reference value which may be the depth of the polygon, for example. The polygon data is rearranged using the order of the reference values as an arrangement standard and includes the steps of dividing the reference values of the plurality of polygon data sets into upper digits and lower digits, registering values for the upper digits in an increasing or decreasing direction, registering the values for the upper digits and values at corresponding lower digits, and registering index numbers indicating positions where the stored polygon data reside. The polygon data may then be read in an order represented by the index numbers that correspond to the increasing or descending order of the values for the upper digits that are registered.

Method and system for sorting polygon data according to depth values

A video game device is disclosed which is composed of a console apparatus in which a processor is installed to execute a game software program. The video game device also includes a memory device, such as a memory cartridge which is removably attached to the console apparatus and which stores the game program. An enhanced function board is attached to the main body of the video game device for improving and enhancing the functions of the video game. The enhanced function board includes a pair of buses, first and second digital processors connected to the buses, a FIFO memory connected between the buses, and an interface circuit connected to the pair of buses. The interface circuit operates to connect the first and second digital processors to the processor of the video game device.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Seisuke Morioka