Method and system for multi-pass rendering
US5977977A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 27, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 27, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/60
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for improved multi-pass rendering in a graphics system includes rendering geometry in a scene to generate rendered image data and then feeding back this rendered image data for a subsequent rendering pass for the same or other geometry in a scene. Geometric primitives are rasterized to generate pixel data, which is stored in a rasterization buffer. The pixel data, including lists of fragment records, is resolved and stored in a shared memory. Resolved pixel data can be combined to generate a display image at real-time, interactive rates. The resolved pixel data can also be used as a texture for subsequent rendering operations. Geometry in a scene can be rasterized in more than one pass to generate pixel data including fragments for partially covered pixels. Fragments from subsequent passes can be blended with corresponding fragments stored in the rasterization buffer from a previous pass.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.