Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Patent
1996-06-27
1999-09-07
Nguyen, Phu K.
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
G06F 1500
Patent
active
059494280
ABSTRACT:
In a graphics rendering system, an apparatus for resolving depth sorted lists of pixel fragments includes color and alpha accumulators for computing color and alpha values from the pixel fragments in a fragment list. Pixel fragments include color, alpha, coverage data. The coverage data describes how a geometric primitive covers sub-pixel regions of a pixel using a coverage mask. Pixel circuitry according to a clock-optimized approach includes separate color and alpha accumulators for computing color and alpha values for sub-pixel regions of a pixel. The accumulated color values are then summed and scaled to compute final color values for a pixel. To reduce hardware requirements, pixel circuitry in a hardware-optimized approach recognizes that some pixel regions have common accumulated alpha values as each fragment layer is processed. As such, color contributions for fragment layers can be computed using a single color accumulation operation for a pixel region having common alpha values.
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Kenworthy Mark L.
Toelle Michael A.
Microsoft Corporation
Nguyen Phu K.
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