Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics display memory system – Graphic display memory controller
Reexamination Certificate
2005-12-06
2005-12-06
Tung, Kee M. (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics display memory system
Graphic display memory controller
Reexamination Certificate
active
06972768
ABSTRACT:
A method and apparatus for efficiently rasterizing graphics is provided. The method is intended to be used in combination with a frame buffer that provides fast tile-based addressing. Within this environment, frame buffer memory locations are organized into a tile hierarchy. For this hierarchy, smaller low-level tiles combine to form larger mid-level tiles. Mid-level tiles combine to form high-level tiles. The tile hierarchy may be expanded to include more levels, or collapsed to included fewer levels. A graphics primitive is rasterized by selecting an starting vertex. The low-level tile that includes the starting vertex is then rasterized. The remaining low-level tiles that are included in the same mid-level tile as the starting vertex are then rasterized. Rasterization continues with the mid-level tiles that are included in the same high-level tile as the starting vertex. These mid-level tiles are rasterized by rasterizing their component low-level tiles. The rasterization process proceeds bottom-up completing at each lower level before completing at higher levels. In this way, the present invention provides a method for rasterizing graphics primitives that accesses memory tiles in an orderly fashion. This reduces page misses within the frame buffer and enhances graphics performance.
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Hussain Zahid S.
Millet Timothy J.
Microsoft Corporation
Woodcock & Washburn LLP
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