Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
1995-07-07
2001-04-03
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
C345S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211885
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image outputting apparatus for outputting a computer graphic image in which picture data of points on a texture pattern are mapped to picture data of dots on a display plane.
An image outputting apparatus outputs onto a display plane a three-dimensional (3D) computer graphic image in which luminances and colors of points in a portion of a texture pattern are projected onto luminances and colors of dots in a portion of the display plane. The appearance of the dots with the transformed picture data on the display plane is distinguishable from the appearance of other dots with non-transformed picture data thereon. This image outputting apparatus is very useful for engineers to check the result of an engineering design or to evaluate the appearance of an output image on a development phase.
Hereinafter, the mapping of the picture data of points on the texture pattern to the picture data of dots on the display plane is called the texture mapping.
In a conventional image outputting apparatus of the above type, a two-dimensional texture pattern is divided into line segments in parallel to scanning lines. Picture elements of dots on the display plane are generated by scanning the line segments in the scanning line direction. To realize this, it is necessary to carry out inverse perspective transformation for each of the picture elements of the dots.
The above conventional apparatus must perform matrix operations for each of picture elements of dots on the display plane. Thus, the processing speed is considerably low. Also, in some case of the mapping of picture data of a unit polygon from the texture pattern to picture data of a unit polygon on the display plane, the above conventional apparatus is difficult to obtain an accurate result of the texture mapping. In such a case, an output graphic image with a low quality may be produced by the above conventional apparatus.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.63-80375 discloses an image outputting apparatus in which the above problems are eliminated. The purpose of this conventional apparatus is to carry out a special-effect imaging function with a better picture quality and a higher processing speed. This special-effect imaging is carried out by making use of the texture mapping described above.
The conventional apparatus, disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, outputs an image in which picture data of points on the two-dimensional texture pattern are projected onto picture data of dots of a polygon (or a surface of an object) on the display plane. This conventional apparatus includes an I/O (input-output) interface unit, a memory, a line segment digital differential analyzer, a scan line digital differential analyzer, and others.
However, generally, picture data of all points in a texture pattern are arranged in a matrix formation, similarly to picture data of a graphic image stored in a frame memory. For example, in order to prepare a texture pattern whose picture data are arranged in a formation of a matrix of 256×256dots, a total of 2
16
colors for picture data of the texture pattern is required. Supposing that a binary representation of one color consists of 3×8bits (R, G, B) of information, a storage capacity of a memory for storing the picture data of the texture pattern in this example must be about 1.5 megabits (=3×8bits×2
16
).
Therefore, in order to realize the special-effect imaging on an image outputting apparatus, it is necessary to incorporate a large number of memories for storing various texture patterns into the apparatus. Such texture patterns are used for outputting images of different frames on the display plane when the special-effect imaging is carried out. The apparatus into which various memories are incorporated is excessively large in size, and the cost of the manufacture is increased considerably. Accordingly, the approach of the above conventional apparatus is unsuitable for practical use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved image outputting apparatus in which the above-described problem is eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image outputting apparatus which carries out a special-effect imaging by using a single map memory in which a texture map is stored.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image outputting apparatus which carries out a special-effect imaging by using a simple structure and a map memory having a reasonably small size.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by an image outputting apparatus which includes: a map memory for storing a texture map in which a plurality of predetermined colors of all points on a texture pattern are defined, each of the predetermined colors being read from the map memory when an address of the map memory indicating a point on the texture pattern is input; a storing unit for storing at least a control color value and a control luminance value; a detecting unit for detecting whether or not one of the predetermined colors read from the map memory is in accordance with a specified color indicated by the control color value output from the storing unit; and a selecting unit for selectively outputting either an original luminance or a changed luminance indicated by the control luminance value output from the storing unit, in accordance with a result of the detection by the detecting unit.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by an image outputting apparatus which includes: a lookup table memory for storing a lookup table in which a plurality of predetermined colors of points in a first area on a texture pattern and a plurality of predetermined colors of points in a second area on the texture pattern are defined, each of the predetermined colors being read from the lookup table memory when an address of the lookup table memory indicating a point on the texture pattern is input; a map memory for storing a map in which a plurality of lookup-table memory addresses indicating all the points on the texture pattern are defined, each of the lookup-table memory addresses being read from the map memory when an address of the map memory indicating a point on the texture pattern is input; a storing unit for storing at least a control address value and a control luminance value; a detecting unit for detecting whether or not one of the lookup-table memory addresses read from the map memory is in accordance with a specified memory address indicated by the control address value output from the storing unit; and a selecting unit for selectively outputting either an original luminance or a changed luminance indicated by the control luminance value output from the storing unit, in accordance with a result of the detection by the detecting unit.
According to the present invention, it is possible that the original luminance of a texture-pattern dot for one frame be changed to a first luminance, and the original luminance of the same dot for another frame be changed to a second luminance. The first and second luminances can freely be specified by defining control values output from a central processing unit for each of the frames.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4839828 (1989-06-01), Elsner et al.
patent: 4841291 (1989-06-01), Swix et al.
patent: 4874164 (1989-10-01), Miner et al.
patent: 4924415 (1990-05-01), Winser
patent: 5051928 (1991-09-01), Gruters
patent: 5249263 (1993-09-01), Yanker
patent: 5341468 (1994-08-01), Shiraishi et al.
patent: 5778250 (1998-07-01), Dye
patent: 6380375 (1988-04-01), None
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 30, No. 8, Jan. 1988.
Cooper & Dunham LLP
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
Sealey Lance W.
Zimmerman Mark
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