Deferred shading graphics processing unit, geometry data structure and method of performing anti-aliasing in deferred shading
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorYury Uralsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A deferred shading GPU, geometry data structure and method. One embodiment of the geometry data structure is found in a graphics processing subsystem operable to render a scene having a pixel represented by samples. The graphics processing subsystem includes: (1) a memory configured to store a geometry data structure associated with the pixel containing surface fragment coverage masks associated with the samples, and (2) a GPU configured to employ the surface fragment coverage masks to carry out deferred shading on the pixel.
Claims20
A graphics processing subsystem operable to render a scene having a pixel represented by samples, comprising:
- a memory configured to store a geometry data structure associated with said pixel containing surface fragment coverage masks associated with said samples;
- and
- a graphics processing unit (GPU) configured to employ said surface fragment coverage masks to carry out deferred shading on said pixel.
A method of shading a pixel represented by samples in a previously rendered scene, comprising:
- employing surface fragment coverage masks associated with said samples in determining a number of unique surface fragments covering said pixel;
- employing said surface fragment coverage masks in generating a mapping of said unique surface fragments to said samples;
- and
- shading said pixel according to said number of unique surface fragments and said mapping.
A graphics processing unit (GPU) operable to render a scene containing a pixel, comprising:
- a rasterizer configured to generate surface attributes associated with visible geometry within said pixel and surface fragment coverage masks associated with samples of said pixel;
- a memory configured to store a geometry data structure associated with said pixel containing:
- said surface attributes, and
- said surface fragment coverage masks;
- and
- a shader configured to employ said geometry data structure in shading said pixel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.