Graphics processing unit with deferred vertex shading

A device comprising:

• a graphics processing unit (GPU) that is configured to:
• generate, within a processing pipeline of the GPU, vertex coordinates for vertices of each primitive within an image geometry, wherein the vertex coordinates comprise a location and a perspective parameter for each one of the vertices, and wherein the image geometry represents a graphics image;
• identify, within the processing pipeline of the GPU, visible primitives within the image geometry based upon the vertex coordinates;
• and
• responsive to identifying the visible primitives, generate, within the processing pipeline of the GPU, vertex attributes only for the vertices of the visible primitives in order to determine surface properties of the graphics image.

A computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions for causing one or more processors to:

• generate, within a processing pipeline of a graphics processing unit (GPU), vertex coordinates for vertices of each primitive within an image geometry, wherein the vertex coordinates comprise a location and a perspective parameter for each one of the vertices, and wherein the image geometry represents a graphics image;
• identify, within the processing pipeline of the GPU, visible primitives within the image geometry based upon the vertex coordinates;
• and
• responsive to identifying the visible primitives, generate, within the processing pipeline of the GPU, vertex attributes only for the vertices of the visible primitives in order to determine surface properties of the graphics image.

A device comprising:

• generating, within a processing pipeline of a graphics processing unit (GPU), vertex coordinates for vertices of each primitive within an image geometry, wherein the vertex coordinates comprise a location and a perspective parameter for each one of the vertices, and wherein the image geometry represents a graphics image;
• identifying, within the processing pipeline of the GPU, visible primitives within the image geometry based upon the vertex coordinates;
• and
• responsive to identifying the visible primitives, generating, within the processing pipeline of the GPU, vertex attributes only for the vertices of the visible primitives in order to determine surface properties of the graphics image.