Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2001-03-20
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
C345S440000, C345S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06204851
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to computer graphical production devices and, more particularly, the invention relates to applying effects to graphical images on a computer system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Special effects (“effects”) commonly are added to graphical images in a motion picture by means of conventional graphical editing application programs such as, for example, ADOBE PREMERE™, available from Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif. Such programs may include known effects such as, for example, zooming, rotating, and trimming. Edited motion pictures often may be previewed in a playback window on the computer system.
The functionality provided by conventional graphical editing programs, however, typically requires extensive utilization of the central processing unit and random access memory within the computer system. More particularly, the central processing unit performs all of the calculations required to apply effects to graphical images. After these calculations are completed by the central processor, the edited graphical image may be directed to a graphics accelerator for display on a display device. One such graphics accelerator is the REALIZM™ video card, available from Intergraph Corporation of Huntsville, Ala. Such graphics accelerator utilizes the commonly known OPENGL™ application program interface (available from Silicon Graphics, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.) to display the edited graphical image. For more information relating to OPENGL™, See, for example,
Inside OLE
, two-dimensional. Ed., by Kraig Brockschmidt (Microsoft press 1995);
The OPENGL Technical Library
, which contains
The OPENGL Programming Guide
(ISBN: 0-201-63276-4), and
The OPENGL Reference Manual
(ISBN: 0-201-46140-4), by the OPENGL Architecture Review Board;
The OPENGL Graphics System: A Specification
, Version 1.0 et seq., by Silicon Graphics, Inc. (1992);
Microsoft OPENGL Installable Client Driver Specification
, Microsoft Corporation;
Computer Graphics Principles and Practice
, by Foley van Dam (Addison-Wesley 1996);
OPENGL Programming Guide
, (ISBN: 0-201-46138-2), by the OPENGL Architecture Review Board. These related documents are incorporated herein, in their entireties, by reference.
Utilizing the central processing unit for performing such calculations, however, undesirably slows computer system performance. The art has responded to this problem by providing one or more dedicated co-processors for performing the necessary calculations. Although typically more efficient than utilizing the central processing unit, co-processors are expensive, thus increasing the cost of editing graphical images with such graphical image editing programs. Moreover, co-processors typically are difficult to program.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an apparatus and method of applying an effect to graphical data utilizes a graphics processor to apply the effect to a graphical image having the graphical data. To that end, the graphics processor is configured to process graphical data in accordance with a preselected graphics processing format, and the effect and graphical image are defined and converted, respectively, into the preselected graphics processing format. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, the graphics processor is controlled to apply the effect to the graphical image to produce an output graphical image. The output graphical image includes both the effect and the graphical image. In preferred embodiments, the graphics processor is a graphics accelerator card, and the graphics processing format is
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the computer system includes a central processing unit, in addition to the graphics processor. The effect may be applied to the graphical image so that the effect is normalized with respect to the graphical image. Specifically, the effect may be applied to the graphical image as a ratio of the size of the graphical image. Moreover, the output graphical image may be stored in volatile or non-volatile memory in the computer system as a frame or other type of graphical image. Alternatively, the effect may be applied to the graphical image within texture memory that is a part of the graphics processor. The texture may be the graphics processor format for the input image.
In yet other embodiments, the effect may include an initial effect and a final effect. In preferred embodiments, the effect may be applied to the graphical image by interpolating between the initial effect and the final effect to provide a continuous effect. The graphical image may be any known graphical image that may be converted into computer readable form. For example, the graphical image may be a video image having a plurality of fields, or a motion picture having a plurality of frames.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are implemented as a computer program product having a computer usable medium with computer readable program code thereon. The computer readable code may be read and utilized by the computer system in accordance with conventional processes.
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Caramba User's Manual, Camaleon Graphics Software, Jul. 31, 1995.
Cuellar Gabriel
Manana Gabriel
Netschke Gregory W.
Bromberg & Sunstein LLP
Cunningham G. T.
Intergraph Corporation
Powell Mark R.
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