System, method and computer program product for programmable shading using pixel shaders
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorHarold Robert Feldman Zatz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method and computer program product are provided for performing shader calculations in a graphics pipeline. Initially, a shading calculation is performed in order to generate output. Thereafter, an additional shading calculation is carried out. Such additional shading calculation includes converting the output of the shading calculation into a floating point format. Further, a dot product is calculated utilizing the converted output and texture coordinates. The dot product is then clamped. Next, the clamped dot product is stored in a plurality of color components.
Claims28
A method for performing shader calculations in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- and
- (b) performing an additional shading calculation including:
- (i) converting the output of the shading calculation into a floating point format,
- (ii) calculating a dot product utilizing the converted output and texture coordinates,
- (iii) clamping the dot product, and
- (iv) storing the clamped dot product in a plurality of color components.
A method for performing shader calculations in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- and
- (b) performing an additional shading calculation including:
- (i) converting the output of the shading calculation into a floating point format,
- (ii) calculating a dot product (dp) utilizing the converted output and texture coordinates, and
- (iii) retrieving texture information utilizing the dot product (dp).
A method for performing shader calculations in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- and
- (b) performing an additional shading calculation including:
- (i) converting the output of the shading calculation into a floating point format, and
- (ii) retrieving texture information utilizing the converted output.
A method for interweaving shading calculations and texture retrieval operations during texture sampling in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- (b) retrieving texture information using texture coordinates associated with the output;
- (c) performing an additional shading calculation using the texture information in order to generate further output, said additional shading calculation including a dot product;
- (d) repeating operations (b)-(c).
A computer program product for interweaving shading calculations and texture retrieval operations during texture sampling in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) computer code for performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- (b) computer code for retrieving texture information using texture coordinates associated with the output;
- (c) computer code for performing an additional shading calculation using the texture information in order to generate further output, said additional shading calculation including a dot product;
- (d) computer code for repeating code segments (b)-(c).
A system for interweaving shading calculations and texture retrieval operations during texture sampling in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) logic for performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- (b) logic for retrieving texture information using texture coordinates associated with the output;
- (c) logic for performing an additional shading calculation using the texture information in order to generate further output, said additional shading calculation including a dot product;
- (d) logic for repeating logic operations (b)-(c).
A method for interweaving shading calculations and texture retrieval operations during texture sampling in a graphics pipeline, comprising:
- (a) performing a shading calculation in order to generate output;
- (b) retrieving texture information using texture coordinates associated with the output;
- (c) performing an additional shading calculation using the texture information in order to generate further output, said additional shading calculation selected from the group consisting of a dependent look-up, a dot-product passthrough operation, and a dot-product texture operation;
- (d) repeating operations (b)-(c).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.