Efficient geometric tessellation and displacement
US7928979B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 1, 2008 |
| Grant date | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 5, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2210/36
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods and computer-storage media are provided for rendering three-dimensional (3D) graphics by tessellating objects using novel structures and algorithms. Rendering utilizing “patches,” configurable functions that include a specified number of control points, allows for computation on a per-patch or per-control-point basis, in addition to traditional per-vertex, per-primitive, and per-pixel methods. This produces a number of advantages over previous tessellation methods, including the reuse of computations across existing vertices and the ability to process at a lower frequency. The operations to compute points are simplified in order to optimize system resources used in the process. Transitions from un-tessellated to tessellated objects are smoother utilizing the present invention, while developers have more flexibility in the level of detail present at different edges of the same patch. Detail within a displacement map also can be increased without negative effects associated with previous systems and methods.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.