Apparatus and method for generating point sample masks in a graphics display system
US5369739A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 9, 1993 |
| Grant date | Nov 29, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 9, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2200/12
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a computer graphics system, a method of generating a geometrically valid point sample mask corresponding to a pixel. A separate mask is generated for each edge of a polygon. These masks specify whether particular subsample points are within a half-plane defined by an edge of the polygon. This information is determined by examining the sign of vertical or horizontal distance metrics corresponding to those sample points. These separate masks are merged to form the final point sample mask. Thereby, the final point sample mask contains information specifying whether particular sample points reside within the polygon. This information is used in rendering the pixel for display by the computer graphics system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.