Patent · US Expired

Rendering polygons

US6034699A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
1References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 1, 1997
Grant dateMar 7, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 1, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T11/40
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus is used in a graphics system to scan a polygon that minimizes the number of pixels scanned outside of the polygon. A direction (e.g., the direction of the major scan axis) is chosen so that once inside the polygon, advancements along the direction do not take the scanning outside of the polygon until substantially all of the interior pixels of the polygon have been scanned. The direction is selected based on the angular orientations of the edges of the polygon. During the scanning, advancements along the direction result in starting points from which lines are pixels are scanned (e.g., lines following a minor scan axis). Each line of pixels ends at one of the edges of the polygon.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.