Patent · US Expired

Configurable vertex blending circuit and method therefore

US6552733B1 · kind B1 · utility

2Cited by
7References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 20, 2000
Grant dateApr 22, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T11/203
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A configurable vertex blending circuit that allows both morphing and skinning operations to be supported in dedicated hardware is presented. Such a configurable vertex blending circuit includes a matrix array that is used for storing the matrices associated with the various portions of the vertex blending operations. Vertex data that is received is stored in an input vertex buffer that includes multiple position buffers such that the multiple positions associated with morphing operations can be stored. Similarly, the single position typically associated with skinning operations can be stored in one of the position buffers. The input vertex buffer further stores blending weights associated with the various component operations that are included in the overall vertex blending operation. An arithmetic unit, which is configured and controlled by a transform controller, performs the calculations required for each of a plurality of component operations included in the overall vertex blending operation. The results of each of these component operations are then combined to produce a blended vertex.

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