US 10,650,580 B2Granted

Graphics processing

AssigneeArm Limited

InventorsAndreas Due Engh-Halstvedt, Frank Klaeboe Langtind

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A graphics processing pipeline includes: a position shader, a tiler, a pool of memory for storing primitive lists and vertex shaded attributes data for vertices, a varying-only vertex shader, and a fragment frontend and shader. The position shader performs vertex shading for the positional attributes of the vertices of a set of vertices to be processed by the graphics processing pipeline. The tiler uses the vertex shaded position data to identify primitives that should be processed further to generate the render output. When the tiler determines that a vertex should be processed further to generate the render output, it allocates memory space in the memory pool for storing vertex shaded attributes data for the vertex. Vertex shaded attributes data for the vertex is then stored in the allocated space in the memory pool for later use, e.g., by the fragment frontend and shader.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method of operating a graphics processing pipeline, the method comprising:

for a set of vertices to be processed by the graphics processing pipeline:
a vertex shading stage of the graphics processing pipeline performing a first vertex shading operation on one or more vertices of the set of vertices, to generate vertex shaded attribute data for at least one vertex attribute of the one or more vertices of the set;
a testing stage of the graphics processing pipeline determining, for respective vertices or groups of vertices of the one or more vertices that have been subjected to the first vertex shading operation, whether or not memory space should be allocated for storing vertex shaded attribute data for at least one vertex attribute for the vertex or group of vertices, wherein the determining comprises using, at least in part, some or all of the vertex shaded attribute data generated by the first vertex shading operation;
the testing stage, in response to determining that memory space should be allocated for a vertex or group of vertices, sending a request for memory space to be allocated for the vertex or group of vertices;
and
in response to the request from the testing stage, a memory allocator allocating memory space for storing vertex shaded attribute data for the vertex or group of vertices for which the request has been sent;
wherein the allocation of memory space to vertices is performed by allocating a larger block of memory space that is sufficient to store vertex shaded attribute data for plural vertices, and then allocating space within that block to individual vertices;
and the method comprises:
storing vertex shaded attribute data for plural vertices in a block of memory space by storing the position attributes for the plural vertices together, one after another, at one end of the block, and storing the non-position attributes for each of the vertices together, one after another, separately therefrom.

6 more elements

A graphics processing system, comprising:

graphics processing pipeline comprising:
a vertex shading circuit operable to perform a first vertex shading operation on one or more vertices of a set of vertices to be processed by the graphics processing pipeline, to generate vertex shaded attribute data for at least one vertex attribute of the one or more vertices of the set;
and
a testing circuit operable to determine, for respective vertices or groups of vertices of the one or more vertices that have been subjected to the first vertex shading operation, whether or not memory space should be allocated for storing vertex shaded attribute data for at least one vertex attribute for the vertex or group of vertices, wherein the determining comprises using, at least in part, some or all of the vertex shaded attribute data generated by the first vertex shading operation;
the testing circuit being further operable to, in response to determining that memory space should be allocated for a vertex or group of vertices, send a request for memory space to be allocated for the vertex or group of vertices;
the graphics processing system further comprising:
a memory allocator operable to, in response to a request from the testing circuit for memory space to be allocated, allocate memory space for storing vertex shaded attribute data for a vertex or group of vertices for which the request has been sent;
wherein:
the allocation of memory space to vertices is performed by allocating a larger block of memory space that is sufficient to store vertex shaded attribute data for plural vertices, and then allocating space within that block to individual vertices;
and
vertex shaded attribute data for plural vertices is stored in a block of memory space by storing the position attributes for the plural vertices together, one after another, at one end of the block, and storing the non-position attributes for each of the vertices together, one after another, separately therefrom.

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer software code which when executing on a processor performs a method of operating a graphics processing pipeline, the method comprising:

for a set of vertices to be processed by the graphics processing pipeline:
a vertex shading stage of the graphics processing pipeline performing a first vertex shading operation on one or more vertices of the set of vertices, to generate vertex shaded attribute data for at least one vertex attribute of the one or more vertices of the set;
a testing stage of the graphics processing pipeline determining, for respective vertices or groups of vertices of the one or more vertices that have been subjected to the first vertex shading operation, whether or not memory space should be allocated for storing vertex shaded attribute data for at least one vertex attribute for the vertex or group of vertices, wherein the determining comprises using, at least in part, some or all of the vertex shaded attribute data generated by the first vertex shading operation;
the testing stage, in response to determining that memory space should be allocated for a vertex or group of vertices, sending a request for memory space to be allocated for the vertex or group of vertices;
and
in response to the request from the testing stage, a memory allocator allocating memory space for storing vertex shaded attribute data for the vertex or group of vertices for which the request has been sent;
wherein the allocation of memory space to vertices is performed by allocating a larger block of memory space that is sufficient to store vertex shaded attribute data for plural vertices, and then allocating space within that block to individual vertices;
and the method comprises:
storing vertex shaded attribute data for plural vertices in a block of memory space by storing the position attributes for the plural vertices together, one after another, at one end of the block, and storing the non-position attributes for each of the vertices together, one after another, separately therefrom.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/026,402Filed 3 Jul 2018
Priority: GB 1710873.96 Jul 2017
Published: US 2019/0012829 A110 Jan 2019
Granted: 12 May 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G06T 15/80
Lighting effects: shading
G06T 1/20
General purpose image data processing: processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
G06T 1/60
General purpose image data processing: memory management
G06T 15/005
Three-dimensional [3D] image rendering: general purpose rendering architectures