US 11,379,944 B2 · Techniques for performing accelerated point sampling in a texture processing pipeline

Abstract

A texture processing pipeline in a graphics processing unit generates the surface appearance for objects in a computer-generated scene. This texture processing pipeline determines, at multiple stages within the texture processing pipeline, whether texture operations and texture loads may be processed at an accelerated rate. At each stage that includes a decision point, the texture processing pipeline assumes that the current texture operation or texture load can be accelerated unless specific, known information indicates that the texture operation or texture load cannot be accelerated. As a result, the texture processing pipeline increases the number of texture operations and texture loads that are accelerated relative to the number of texture operations and texture loads that are not accelerated.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for accessing texture memory in a graphics processing unit, the method comprising:

generating, at a first stage in a texture processing pipeline based on a first set of data, a first determination of whether a texture memory query is eligible for acceleration within the texture processing pipeline;
configuring, based on the first determination, the texture processing pipeline to process the texture memory query at a first processing rate;
causing the texture memory query to proceed to a second stage in the texture processing pipeline;
generating, at the second stage in the texture processing pipeline and based on a second set of data, a second determination of whether the texture memory query is eligible for acceleration within the texture processing pipeline, wherein the second set of data differs from the first set of data;
and
reconfiguring, based on the second determination, the texture processing pipeline to process the texture memory query at a second processing rate.

3 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating, at a first stage in a texture processing pipeline based on a first set of data, a first determination of whether a texture memory query is eligible for acceleration within the texture processing pipeline;
configuring, based on the first determination, the texture processing pipeline to process the texture memory query at a first processing rate;
causing the texture memory query to proceed to a second stage in the texture processing pipeline;
generating, at the second stage in the texture processing pipeline based on a second set of data, a second determination of whether the texture memory query is eligible for acceleration within the texture processing pipeline, wherein the second set of data differs from the first set of data;
and
reconfiguring, based on the second determination, the texture processing pipeline to process the texture memory query at a second processing rate.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Techniques for performing accelerated point sampling in a texture processing pipeline

Life of this patent

Techniques for performing accelerated point sampling in a texture processing pipeline

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20