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US 2026/0065529 A1Published application
Graphics processing
AssigneeArm Limited
InventorsDaren Croxford, Roberto Lopez Mendez, Mina Ivanova Dimova
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method of operating a graphics processor to generate a render output. A first initial processing pass is performed to determine texture visibility information at respective sampling positions within the render output. This texture visibility information is then used to control how texture data is obtained during a subsequent further processing pass that generates the render output.
Claims20
A method of operating a graphics processing system comprising a graphics processor operable to generate render outputs and a texture data processing system including a texture cache that is operable to transfer graphics texture data between a memory system in which graphics texture data is stored and the graphics processor, the method comprising:
- for a sequence of primitives to be processed for a render output:
- the graphics processor:
- performing an initial processing pass comprising processing primitives within the sequence of primitives into respective sets of one or more fragments, each fragment associated with a respective set of one or more sampling positions within the render output, and then processing the resulting fragments to determine which particular primitives in the sequence of primitives are visible for which sampling positions within the render output;
- and
- thereafter performing a further processing pass to generate respective output values for the respective sampling positions within the render output, the further processing pass comprising, for respective sampling positions for which an output value is to be generated, performing further processing of the particular primitive in the sequence of primitives that is visible at that sampling position to generate a respective output value for the sampling position, the further processing including the graphics processor obtaining graphics texture data associated with the primitive from the texture data processing system and applying the obtained graphics texture data to the sampling position,
- wherein a set of information is generated from the processing of the sequence of primitives by the initial processing pass that is usable to identify which graphics texture data is to be applied during the further processing pass at which sampling positions within the render output,
- and wherein the method further comprises:
- controlling how the graphics texture data that is to be applied to one or more sampling positions within the render output during the further processing pass is obtained from the texture data processing system based on the set of information generated from the processing of the sequence of primitives by the initial processing pass.
5 more elements
A graphics processing system comprising:
- a graphics processor operable to generate render outputs;
- and
- a texture data processing system including a texture cache that is operable to transfer graphics texture data between a memory system in which graphics texture data is stored and the graphics processor,
- wherein the graphics processor comprises:
- a rendering circuit that is operable to process primitives into respective sets of one or more fragments, each fragment associated with a respective set of one or more sampling positions within the render output, and which rendering circuit is further operable to process the resulting fragments to generate respective output values for the respective sampling positions within the render output;
- and
- a rendering control circuit that is configured to control the operation of the graphics processor to generate a render output, wherein:
- for a sequence of primitives to be processed for a render output:
- the rendering control circuit causes the graphics processor to process the sequence of primitives by, using the rendering circuit:
- performing an initial processing pass comprising processing primitives within the sequence of primitives into respective sets of one or more fragments, each fragment associated with a respective set of one or more sampling positions within the render output, and then processing the resulting fragments to determine which particular primitives in the sequence of primitives are visible for which sampling positions within the render output;
- and
- thereafter performing a further processing pass to generate respective output values for the respective sampling positions within the render output, the further processing pass comprising, for respective sampling positions for which an output value is to be generated, performing further processing of the particular primitive in the sequence of primitives that is visible at that sampling position to generate a respective output value for the sampling position, the further processing including the graphics processor obtaining graphics texture data associated with the primitive from the texture data processing system and applying the obtained graphics texture data to the sampling position,
- the graphics processing system further comprising a texturing control circuit that is configured to:
- when the graphics processor is performing a further processing pass for a sequence of primitives for which a corresponding initial processing pass has already been performed, wherein a set of information is generated from the processing of the sequence of primitives by the initial processing pass that is usable to identify which graphics texture data is to be applied during the further processing pass at which sampling positions within the render output,
- in response to requests from the graphics processor for instances graphics texture data from the texture data processing system:
- control how the graphics texture data that is to be applied to one or more sampling positions within the render output during the further processing pass is obtained from the texture data processing system based on the set of information generated from the processing of the sequence of primitives by the initial processing pass.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.