Image creation device

A method of switching geometry processing modes among a plurality of geometry processing means of an image creation device to create a drawing element list by performing geometry processing to express images, respectively, in parallel, said drawing element list being used in performing drawing processing, said method comprising:

• allocating a function to perform typical geometry processing to at least one first geometry processing means of said plurality of geometry processing means;
• allocating a function to perform atypical geometry processing in cooperation with other geometry processing means to at least one second geometry processing means of said plurality of geometry processing means;
• and
• using software to dynamically switch between a first mode which parallelizes said at least one first geometry processing means and said at least one second geometry processing means and a second mode to lead a processing result of said at least one second geometry processing means to an input of said at least one first geometry processing means.

A computer readable record medium containing a program to cause a plurality of geometry processing means to create a drawing element list by performing geometry processing to express images, respectively, in parallel, and to cause a control means to perform drawing processing based on said drawing element list on a computer, said program comprising:

• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to allocate a function to perform typical geometry processing to at least one first geometry processing means of said plurality of geometry processing means;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to allocate a function to perform atypical geometry processing in cooperation with other geometry processing means to at least one second geometry processing means of said plurality of geometry processing means;
• and
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to selectively adopt a first mode which parallelizes said at least one first geometry processing means and said at least one second geometry processing means and a second mode to lead a processing result of said at least one second geometry processing means to an input of said at least one first geometry processing means.

A semiconductor device to cause a plurality of geometry processing means to create a drawing element list by performing geometry processing to express images, respectively, in parallel, and to cause a control means to perform drawing processing based on said drawing element list on a computer, said semiconductor device comprising:

• means for allocating a function to perform typical geometry processing to at least one first geometry processing means of said plurality of geometry processing means;
• and
• means for allocating a function to perform atypical geometry processing in cooperation with with other geometry processing means to at least one second geometry processing means of said plurality of geometry processing means, wherein
• said control means for selectively adopting a first mode which parallelizes said at least one first geometry processing means and said at least one second geometry processing means and a second mode to lead a processing result of said at least one second geometry processing means to an input of said at least one first geometry processing means.

An apparatus for processing polygons of image objects to form a moving image, comprising:

• at least one first geometry processing unit operable to perform geometry processing on said polygons to form one or more background objects of said moving image;
• at least one second geometry processing unit operable to perform geometry processing on said polygons to form one or more moving objects of said moving image;
• a controller operable to selectively adopt first and second modes of operation, said first mode of operation obtaining parallel drawing element lists from said first and second geometry processing units such that they may be merged to form a combined drawing element list, and said second mode of operation routing said geometry processing result of said at least one second geometry processing unit to said at least one first geometry processing unit to produce a serial drawing element list;
• and
• a drawing unit operable to render said polygons of said combined display element list into a frame buffer.

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when said controller has selectively adopted said second mode of operation:

• said at least one second geometry processing unit is further operable to perform said geometry processing to produce a coordinate conversion matrix that is capable of operating on vertexes of said polygons to produce moving objects of said moving image;
• said at least one second geometry processing unit is further operable to transfer said coordinate conversion matrix to said at least one first geometry processing unit;
• and
• said at least one first geometry processing unit is further operable to apply said coordinate conversion matrix to said vertexes of said polygons to produce said serial drawing element list.