US 6,636,225 B2 · Managing texture mapping data in a computer graphics system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing texture mapping data in a computer graphics system, the computer graphics system including a host computer, primitive rendering hardware and a primitive data path extending between the host computer and the primitive rendering hardware. The host computer passes primitives to be rendered by the system to the primitive rendering hardware over the primitive data path. The host computer has a main memory that stores texture mapping data corresponding to the primitives to be rendered. The primitive rendering hardware includes a local texture memory that locally stores the texture mapping data corresponding to at least one of the primitives to be rendered. When a primitive passed to the primitive rendering hardware is to be rendered, a determination is made as to whether its corresponding texture mapping data is in the local texture memory. When the texture mapping data corresponding to the primitive to be rendered is in the local texture memory, the primitive is rendered using its corresponding texture mapping data from the local texture memory. When the texture mapping data corresponding to the primitive to be rendered is not in the local texture memory, the texture mapping data corresponding to the primitive to be rendered is downloaded from the host computer main memory to the primitive rendering hardware, and the primitive is rendered using its corresponding texture mapping data downloaded from the main memory. The local texture memory may be implemented as a cache.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for managing texture mapping data in a computer graphics system including a host computer, primitive rendering hardware and a primitive data path extending between the host computer and the primitive rendering hardware over which the host computer passes primitives to be rendered to the primitive rendering hardware, the host computer having a memory system that stores texture mapping data corresponding to the primitives to be rendered, the primitive rendering hardware including a local texture memory that locally stores the texture mapping data corresponding to at least one of the primitives to be rendered, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) when a primitive passed to the primitive rendering hardware is to be rendered, determining whether its corresponding texture mapping data is in the local texture memory;
(b) when the texture mapping data corresponding to the primitive to be rendered is in the local texture memory, rendering the primitive using its corresponding texture mapping data from the local texture memory;
and
(c) when the texture mapping data corresponding to the primitive to be rendered is not in the local texture memory, performing the steps of (1) requesting that the texture mapping data corresponding to the primitive to be rendered be downloaded from the host computer memory system to the primitive rendering hardware;
and (2) rendering the primitive using its corresponding texture mapping data downloaded from the host computer memory system.

2 more elements

A computer graphics system comprising:

a host computer that provides primitives to be rendered by the system, the host computer including a memory system that stores texture mapping data corresponding to the primitives to be rendered by the system;
primitive rendering hardware that renders primitives provided from the host computer, the primitive rendering hardware including a local cache memory that stores texture mapping data corresponding to at least one primitive to be rendered;
a primitive data path, coupling the host computer to the primitive rendering hardware, over which the primitives to be rendered are provided from the host computer to the primitive rendering hardware;
a texture mapping data path, coupling the host computer to the primitive rendering hardware, over which the primitive rendering hardware receives texture mapping data downloaded from the host computer, the texture mapping data path being separate from the primitive data path.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Managing texture mapping data in a computer graphics system

Life of this patent

Managing texture mapping data in a computer graphics system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20