Graphics processing systems

A data processing system comprising:

• a plurality of processors for generating output blocks of data representing particular regions of an output array of data to be provided by the data processing system;
• and
• a data block allocator for allocating data blocks to be generated to produce an output array of data to the plural processors;
• wherein the data block allocator is configured to:
• initially allocate a different data block of the data blocks to be generated to each data block generating processor;
• and to,
• when a processor completes the data block it is currently processing, allocate another data block that is still to be processed to that processor, and so on, until all the data blocks to be generated have been allocated to processors;
• and
• wherein the data block allocator is configured to:
• select the next data block to be allocated to a given processor for processing as being the next data block along a path defined for that given processor that starts at the data block initially allocated to that processor and that will traverse every data block to be generated if followed to its end, and which path is configured such that, at least for the initial data blocks along the path, adjacent data blocks in the path are spatially adjacent in the output data array, unless the next data block in the path for the given processor has already been allocated to another processor, in which case it selects a data block further on in the data block traversal path for the given processor that is still to be allocated to a processor for processing as the next data block to be allocated to the given processor for processing.

A data block allocation apparatus for use in a data processing system in which an output array of data is generated by the data processing system generating blocks of data representing particular regions of the output array of data and which comprises plural data block generating processors, the data block allocation apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

• initially allocate a different data block of a set of data blocks to be generated to produce an output array of data to each data block generating processor of a set of plural data block generating processors of a data processing system;
• and
• when a processor completes the data block it is currently processing, allocate another data block that is still to be processed to that processor, and so on, until all the data blocks to be generated have been allocated to processors;
• wherein the processing circuitry configured to, when a processor completes the data block it is currently processing, allocate another data block that is still to be processed to that processor is configured to:
• select the next data block to be allocated to a given processor for processing as being the next data block along a path defined for that processor that starts at the data block initially allocated to that processor and that will traverse every data block to be generated if followed to its end, and which path is configured such that, at least for the initial data blocks along the path, adjacent data blocks in the path are spatially adjacent in the output data array, unless the next data block in the path for the given processor has already been allocated to another processor, in which case it selects a data block further on in the data block traversal path for the given processor that is still to be allocated to a processor for processing as the next data block to be allocated to the given processor for processing.

A computer readable storage medium storing computer software code which when executing on one or more processors performs a method of generating an output array of data comprising a plurality of blocks of data in a data processing system that comprises plural data block generating processors, the method comprising:

• initially allocating a different data block of the plurality of data blocks to be generated to each data block generating processor;
• and
• when each processor completes the data block it is currently processing, allocating another data block that is still to be processed to that processor, and so on, until all the data blocks to be generated have been allocated to processors;
• wherein the next data block to be allocated to a given processor for processing is selected as being the next data block along a path defined for that given processor that starts at the data block initially allocated to that processor and that will traverse every data block to be generated if followed to its end, and which path is configured such that, at least for the initial data blocks along the path, adjacent data blocks in the path are spatially adjacent in the output array of data, unless the next data block in the path for the given processor has already been allocated to another processor, in which case the next data block to be allocated to the given processor is selected to be a data block further on in the data block traversal path for that given processor that is still to be allocated to a processor for processing.