Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Timothy P Cahill

Mikhail Lyapunov

Seema L Ramchandani

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for improving output rendering in anti-aliased rendering scenarios. Relative guidelines are used to improve output rendering in certain anti-aliased rendering scenarios. The system receives information regarding at least one visual element area which is important for symmetric appearance, with at least two guideline pairs included in the information. These pairs of relative guidelines represent gaps between edges of elements for which gaps should be preserved. A guideline snapping procedure is performed for each relative guideline to generate a snapping displacement for each relative guideline. The snapping displacements are provided as inputs to a pixel snapping procedure that snaps the points of the visual element to create an adjusted image. The adjusted image is then rendered on a display device in an anti-aliased rendering scenario. Equal sizes of gaps between neighboring elements can be preserved when these gaps are defined equal by a client.

Pixel snapping with relative guidelines

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for improving output rendering in anti-aliased rendering scenarios. A pixel snapping mode of operation is turned on and off to improve output rendering. When the system detects that an animation has started, the pixel snapping mode is turned off, and when the system detects that the animation has stopped, the pixel snapping mode is resumed. Techniques for providing a smooth transition can be used when turning pixel snapping on. One example of a transition technique includes turning off pixel snapping when an animation begins by immediately lowering the strength of an effect of the pixel snapping mode to zero. Another example includes turning on pixel snapping when the animation finishes by raising the strength of the effect of the pixel snapping mode over a period of time until the strength is full strength.

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Monroe, WA, United States of America

Timothy P Cahill