Graphics processing
AssigneeArm Limited
InventorGustaf Daniel Waldemarson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A graphics processing system that is operable to perform ray tracing using micromaps is disclosed. A tree representation of a micromap is generated, and when it is desired to determine whether and/or how a ray interacts with a sub-region of a primitive, the tree representation of the micromap is traversed to determine a property value for the sub-region of the primitive.
Claims19
A method of operating a graphics processing system that is operable to render a scene represented by primitives by tracing rays through the scene and controlling interactions between rays and sub-regions of primitives using property values defined by one or more micromaps, wherein a micromap defines property values for plural sub-regions of a primitive;
- the method comprising:
- providing a micromap that defines property values for sub-regions of a primitive of a scene to be rendered;
- and
- generating a tree representation of the micromap;
- the method further comprising rendering the scene by tracing rays through the scene, and when it is desired to determine whether and/or how a ray and a sub-region of the primitive interact:
- traversing the tree representation of the micromap to determine a property value for the sub-region of the primitive;
- and
- using the determined property value to determine whether and/or how the ray and the sub-region of the primitive interact.
A method of storing a micromap for use by a graphics processor that is operable to render a scene represented by primitives by tracing rays through the scene and controlling interactions between rays and sub-regions of primitives using property values defined by one or more micromaps, wherein a micromap defines property values for plural sub-regions of a primitive;
- the method comprising:
- generating a tree representation of a micromap that defines property values for sub-regions of a primitive of a scene to be rendered;
- and
- generating and storing data representing the tree representation of the micromap;
- wherein generating and storing data representing the tree representation of the micromap comprises:
- generating, for each node of the tree representation, a piece of data indicating a type of the respective node;
- and
- storing the pieces of data in an order based on the structure of the tree representation, such that the stored data encodes the structure of the tree representation.
A graphics processing system that is operable to render a scene represented by primitives by tracing rays through the scene and controlling interactions between rays and sub-regions of primitives using property values defined by one or more micromaps, wherein a micromap defines property values for plural sub-regions of a primitive;
- the graphics processing system comprising:
- a tree representation generating circuit configured to generate a tree representation of a micromap that defines property values for sub-regions of a primitive of a scene to be rendered;
- and
- a rendering circuit configured to render a scene by tracing rays through a scene, and when it is desired to determine whether and/or how a ray and a sub-region of a primitive interact:
- traverse a tree representation of a micromap generated by the tree representation generating circuit to determine a property value for the sub-region of the primitive;
- and
- use the determined property value to determine whether and/or how the ray and the sub-region of the primitive interact.
A graphics processor that is operable to render a scene represented by primitives by tracing rays through the scene and controlling interactions between rays and sub-regions of primitives using property values defined by one or more micromaps, wherein a micromap defines property values for plural sub-regions of a primitive;
- the graphics processor comprising:
- a rendering circuit configured to render a scene represented by primitives by tracing rays through the scene;
- and
- a processing circuit configured to, when it is desired to determine whether and/or how a ray and a sub-region of a primitive interact:
- determine, by traversing a tree representation of a micromap that defines property values for sub-regions of the primitive, a property value for the sub-region of the primitive;
- and
- use the determined property value to determine whether and/or how the ray and the sub-region of the primitive interact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.