Color compression using multiple planes in a multi-sample anti-aliasing scheme
AssigneeVIA Technologies, Inc.
InventorFred Liao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for compressing computer graphics color data in a system utilizing a multi-sample anti-aliasing scheme using multiple planes for storing color data samples. Each of the planes is configured as a block of contiguous memory.
Claims19
A system for compressing color data in a computer graphics system, comprising:
- a graphics processing unit (GPU);
- a frame buffer, in communication with the GPU, adapted to maintain color data for a pixel;
- a plurality of sub-pixels, such that each of the plurality of sub-pixels comprises a color sample for the pixel;
- a sampling rate, wherein the sampling rate comprises the number of sub-pixels per pixel and wherein the sampling rate is predetermined;
- a tile, wherein the tile comprises a plurality of pixels;
- and
- a plurality of planes adapted to store the plurality of color samples, wherein a sampling rate equals the number of planes, and wherein each of the plurality of planes comprises a contiguous block of memory for a tile and each of the plurality of planes stores the color sample for a specific one of the plurality of sub-pixels such that each of the plurality of sub-pixels corresponds to a designated plane.
A method of compressing color data in a computer graphics system, comprising the steps of:
- storing pixel color data in a frame buffer;
- establishing a sampling rate, for determining the number of color samples per pixel;
- allocating a plurality of color samples to each pixel, wherein each of the plurality of color samples comprises a sub-pixel, such that each pixel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels;
- generating a tile, such that the tile comprises a plurality of pixels;
- organizing memory into a plurality of planes adapted to store the plurality of sub-pixels, wherein each of the plurality of sub-pixels associated with the pixel comprises a different one of the plurality of planes, and wherein each of the plurality of planes comprises contiguous memory;
- and
- accessing a tile record, such that the tile record comprises tile compression data.
Computer graphics hardware, comprising a means for compressing color data using a plurality of designated planes to store sub-pixel color sample data, wherein each of the plurality of planes stores a color sample for a specific one of a plurality of sub-pixels such that each of the plurality of sub-pixels corresponds to a designated plane and wherein each of the plurality of designated planes comprises a block of contiguous memory, and
- means for organizing a plurality of pixels into a tile, wherein the tile corresponds to a tile record stored in a computer memory, and wherein the tile record comprises tile compression data.
A computer graphics system comprising:
- multi-sample anti-aliasing logic configured to store a plurality of color samples for each pixel, wherein each color sample comprises a sub-pixel, such that the color data for each pixel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels, and wherein a tile comprises a plurality of pixels;
- color data compression logic configured to designate a plurality of planes, wherein each of the plurality of planes is designated for a different one of the plurality of sub-pixels, and wherein the each of the plurality of planes comprises a block of contiguous memory;
- and
- tile compression status logic configured to determine the compressibility of a tile, wherein a tile record comprises tile fully covered data to indicate when all pixels in the tile are fully covered, wherein if the tile is fully covered tile color data is stored in a first plane of the plurality of planes.
A system for compressing color data in a computer graphics system, comprising:
- a computer graphics display;
- a plurality of pixels for rendering an image in the computer graphics display;
- a plurality of sub-pixels within each of the plurality of pixels, wherein each of the plurality of sub-pixels stores color sample data;
- and
- a plurality of planes for storing the color sample data, wherein each of the plurality of planes comprises a contiguous block of memory for a tile comprising at least one pixel and each of the plurality of planes stores the color sample for a specific one of the plurality of sub-pixels such that each of the plurality of sub-pixels corresponds to a designated plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.