# US 10,373,365 B2 · Topology shader technology

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- Number: US 10,373,365 B2
- Document ID: US10373365B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/483,409
- Filed: 2017-04-10
- Published: 2018-10-11
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-10
- Assignees: Intel Corporation
- Applicants: Intel Corporation
- Inventors: Hugues Labbe; Tomer Bar-On; Gabor Liktor; Andrew T. Lauritzen; John G. Gierach
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373365B2

## CPC

- G06T 15/005: {General purpose rendering architectures}
- G06T 15/30: Clipping
- G06T 15/40: Hidden part removal
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that receives, at a topology shader in a graphics pipeline, an object description and generates, at the topology shader, a set of polygons based on the object description. Additionally, the set of polygons may be sent to a vertex shader.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a display to present a visual content;
a memory to store a set of instructions; and
a semiconductor package apparatus coupled to the display and the memory, the semiconductor package apparatus including:
a substrate,
a host processor coupled to the substrate, wherein when executed by the host processor, the set of instructions causes the host processor to generate an object description associated with the visual content, wherein the object description identifies a type of object to be rendered without specifying primitive data of the object, and
a graphics processor coupled to the substrate, wherein the graphics processor includes logic to:
receive, at a topology shader of the graphics processor, the object description from the host processor,
generate, at the topology shader, a set of polygons based on the object description, and
send the set of polygons to a vertex shader.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is to:
detect a lack of visibility condition with respect to one or more polygons, and
exclude the one or more polygons from the set of polygons in response to the lack of visibility condition.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the lack of visibility condition is to include one or more of an occluded state or an off screen state.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is to determine a level of detail associated with the object description based on depth information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the logic is to identify a sub-octree corresponding to the object description, and wherein the topology shader is to be invoked for the identified sub-octree.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the logic is to interpolate between two levels of detail.

### Claim 7

An apparatus comprising:
a substrate; and
logic coupled to the substrate, wherein the logic is implemented in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality hardware logic, the logic to:
receive, at a topology shader of a graphics processor, an object description from a host processor, wherein the object description identifies a type of object to be rendered without specifying primitive data of the object,
generate, at the topology shader, a set of polygons based on the object description, and
send the set of polygons to a vertex shader.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the logic is to:
detect a lack of visibility condition with respect to one or more polygons, and
exclude the one or more polygons from the set of polygons in response to the lack of visibility condition.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the lack of visibility condition is to include one or more of an occluded state or an off screen state.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the logic is to determine a level of detail associated with the object description based on depth information.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic is to identify a sub-octree corresponding to the object description, and wherein the topology shader is to be invoked for the identified sub-octree.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic is to interpolate between two levels of detail.

### Claim 13

A method comprising:
receiving, at a topology shader of a graphics processor, an object description from a host processor, wherein the object description identifies a type of object to be rendered without specifying primitive data of the object;
generating, at the topology shader, a set of polygons based on the object description; and
sending the set of polygons to a vertex shader.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein generating the set of polygons includes:
detecting a lack of visibility condition with respect to one or more polygons; and
excluding the one or more polygons from the set of polygons in response to the lack of visibility condition.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the lack of visibility condition includes one or more of an occluded state or an off screen state.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein generating the set of polygons includes determining a level of detail associated with the object description based on depth information.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein determining the level of detail includes identifying a sub-octree corresponding to the object description, and wherein the topology shader is invoked for the identified sub-octree.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein determining the level of detail includes interpolating between two levels of detail.

### Claim 19

At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to:
receive, at a topology shader of a graphics processor, an object description from a host processor, wherein the object description identifies a type of object to be rendered without specifying primitive data of the object;
generate, at the topology shader, a set of polygons based on the object description; and
send the set of polygons to a vertex shader.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing system to:
detect a lack of visibility condition with respect to one or more polygons; and
exclude the one or more polygons from the set of polygons in response to the lack of visibility condition.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the lack of visibility condition is to include one or more of an occluded state or an off screen state.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing system to determine a level of detail associated with the object description based on depth information.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing system to identify a sub-octree corresponding to the object description, and wherein the topology shader is to be invoked for the identified sub-octree.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The at least one non-transitory at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing system to interpolate between two levels of detail.