3d bypass for download of textures

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing texture mapping data in a computer graphics system, the system including a host computer, primitive rendering hardware and a textured primitive data path extending between the host computer and the primitive rendering hardware. The host computer passes textured primitives to be rendered by the system using corresponding texture mapping data to the primitive rendering hardware over the textured primitive data path. The host computer has a main memory that stores texture mapping data corresponding to the textured primitives to be rendered. The primitive rendering hardware includes a local texture memory that locally stores the texture mapping data corresponding to at least one of the textured primitives to be rendered. When texture mapping data corresponding to one of the textured primitives to be rendered is stored in the host computer main memory but not within the local texture mapping memory, the texture mapping data corresponding to the one of the textured primitives is downloaded from the host computer main memory to the local texture mapping memory through a texture mapping data path that is separate from the textured primitive data path.