Sigma buffer for rendering small objects
US8416260B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 22, 2008 |
| Grant date | Apr 9, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 8, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/503
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Small objects causing aliasing are enlarged so that they are likely to be sampled by image sampling points. The opacity of the enlarged object is reduced in proportion to the enlargement. To efficiently render partially transparent objects, such as enlarged objects, objects are sampled using sigma buffer samples instead of image sample points. For each sigma buffer sample, a corresponding portion of the object is set to either completely transparent or completely opaque. The proportion of transparent to opaque portions of the object matches or approximates the partial transparency of the object as a whole. The completely opaque portions of one or more objects are sampled with the corresponding sigma buffer samples. Aggregate values of the sigma buffer samples are determined and can be combined with the attribute values of other objects sampled with image sampling points associated with the same region as the set of sigma buffer samples.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.