MIP map texture storage by dividing and allocating among multiple blocks
US5801708A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 6, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 1, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 6, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/04
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus allocates and stores texture data in a texture mapping computer graphics system. The data includes at least one series of texture MIP maps. The method includes the following steps: dividing each map of the at least one series of MIP maps into at least two map portions; allocating the map portions of each map into a plurality of equally-sized blocks of data such that portions of maps smaller in size than the size of a block are allocated within a single block; storing the blocks within a main memory of the system; and downloading the blocks at least one block at a time from the main memory to a local memory of the system. The step of downloading includes the step of downloading each block into one of first or second banks of at least one SDRAM.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.