Determining a working set of texture maps

US9013498B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• NVIDIA Corporation · US

Inventors

• John S. Montrym · Los Altos, US
• Andrew Tao · Zhejiang, CN
• Henry Packard Moreton · Woodside, US
• Emmett M. Kilgariff · San Jose, US
• Cass W. Everitt · Round Rock, US
• Alexander L. Minkin · Los Altos, US
• Eric T. Anderson · Palo Alto, US
• Yan Yan Tang · San Jose, US
• Jerome F. Duluk, Jr. · Palo Alto, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 19, 2008
• Grant date: Apr 21, 2015
• Expiry date: Apr 4, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2210/36
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for tracking and reporting texture map levels of detail that are computed during graphics processing allows for efficient management of texture map storage. Minimum and/or maximum pre-clamped texture map levels of detail values are tracked by a graphics processor and an array stored in memory is updated to report the minimum and/or maximum values for use by an application program. The minimum and/or maximum values may be used to determine the active set of texture map levels of detail that is loaded into graphics memory.