Image processor, components thereof, and rendering method
AssigneeSony Computer Entertainment Inc.
InventorNobuo Sasaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
To provide an image processor with which the amount of rendering can be reduced. A plurality of primitives are categorized into a first group of primitives that are to be displayed on a display and a second group of primitives that are not to be displayed thereon, by an XYZ clipping section, a Z testing section, and a stencil testing section, according to the data about the plurality of primitives in a primitive buffer. A two-dimensional image is drawn in a frame buffer using the data for the first group of primitives in the primitive buffer.
Claims20
A rendering processing unit for rendering three-dimensional images on a two-dimensional screen, the three-dimensional images being each made up of a plurality of primitives, comprising:
- a primitive buffer in which a plurality of attribute data sets are written in association with relevant primitives, each attribute data set representing attributes of one of the plurality of primitives;
- and
- a tester that compares the plurality of attribute data sets in said primitive buffer with each other to categorize the plurality of primitives into a first group of primitives that are to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen and a second group of primitives that are not displayed thereon;
- the rendering processing unit being configured to render the first group of primitives and not to render the second group of primitives that are categorized out by said tester.
An image processor comprising:
- a frame buffer whose size is equal to the size of a display area in a two-dimensional screen;
- a first processor for adapted to perform geometry processing of a plurality of primitives that describe a three-dimensional image to produce geometry data about the three-dimensional image;
- a second processor that renders two-dimensional images corresponding to the three-dimensional images in said frame buffer according to the produced geometry data;
- and
- a controller for use in displaying the rendered two-dimensional images in the display area;
- said second processor comparing a plurality of attribute data sets with each other to categorize the plurality of primitives into a first group of primitives that are to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen and a second group of primitives that are not displayed thereon and to render in said frame buffer the two-dimensional image that is made up of the first group of primitives other than the second group of primitives, each attribute data set representing attributes of one of the plurality of primitives that are specified by the geometry data obtained from said first processor.
A rendering method comprising a test pass and a rendering pass that are performed in this order by a device for rendering three-dimensional images on a two-dimensional screen, the three-dimensional images being each made up of a plurality of primitives, the device having a primitive buffer in which the primitives are written for the formation of images,
- the test pass being for writing a plurality of attribute data sets in a primitive buffer in association with relevant primitives, each attribute data set representing attributes of one of the plurality of primitives that make up of the three-dimensional images, and for comparing the plurality of written attribute data sets with each other to categorize the plurality of primitives into a first group of primitives that are to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen and a second group of primitives that are not displayed thereon,
- the rendering pass being for reading the first group of primitives other than the second group of primitives that are categorized out in the test pass, out of the primitive buffer to render the read first group of primitives.
A semiconductor device that is mounted on a computer to which a display having a two-dimensional screen is connected, the semiconductor device being adapted to establish the following features on the computer in cooperation with other components of the computer, the features comprising:
- a primitive buffer in which a plurality of attribute data sets are written in association with relevant primitives, each attribute data set representing attributes of one of a plurality of primitives that make up three-dimensional images;
- a tester that compares the plurality of attribute data sets in the primitive buffer with each other to categorize the plurality of primitives into a first group of primitives that are to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen and a second group of primitives that are not displayed thereon;
- and
- rendering process means for rendering the first group of primitives other than the second group of primitives that are categorized out by the tester to produce a two-dimensional image to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen.
A computer program for use in directing a computer to perform the following tasks, the computer being connected to a primitive buffer in which primitives are written for the formation of images, and a display having a two-dimensional screen, the tasks comprising:
- writing a plurality of attribute data sets in the primitive buffer in association with relevant primitives, each attribute data set representing attributes of one of a plurality of primitives that make up three-dimensional images;
- comparing the plurality of attribute data sets in the primitive buffer with each other to categorize the plurality of primitives into a first group of primitives that are to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen and a second group of primitives that are not displayed thereon;
- and
- rendering the first group of primitives other than the second group of primitives that are categorized out to produce a two-dimensional image to be displayed on the two-dimensional screen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.