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US 8,134,570 B1Granted
System and method for graphics attribute packing for pixel shader usage
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorsJerome F. Duluk, Jr., Andrew J. Tao, Roger L. Allen, Svetoslav D. Tzvetkov, Yan Yan Tang, Elena M. Ing
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method and computer program product are provided for packing graphics attributes. In use, a plurality of graphics attributes is identified. Such graphics attributes are packed, such that the packed graphics attributes are capable of being processed utilizing a pixel shader.
Claims16
A method, comprising:
- identifying a graphics attribute stream comprising a plurality of graphics attributes, the plurality of graphics attributes including front color attributes and back color attributes;
- identifying a subset of the plurality of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities;
- rearranging the plurality of graphics attributes of the graphics attribute stream by moving the subset of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities before other graphics attributes of the graphics attribute stream;
- packing the rearranged graphics attributes such that the subset of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities and the other graphics attributes are arranged into a contiguous set of graphics attributer without a null value positioned between the subset of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities and the other graphics attributes;
- and
- processing the packed graphics attributes utilizing a pixel shader of a processor, by:
- receiving, at the pixel shader, input including an indicator as to whether the front color attributes or the back color attributes are applicable color attributes, and
- inputting only the applicable color attributes to the pixel shader, based on the indicator.
5 more elements
A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:
- computer code for identifying a graphics attribute stream comprising a plurality of graphics attributes, the plurality of graphics attributes including front color attributes and back color attributes;
- computer code for identifying a subset of the plurality of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities;
- computer code for rearranging the plurality of graphics attributes of the graphics attribute stream by moving the subset of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities before other graphics attributes of the graphics attribute stream;
- computer code for packing the rearranged graphics attributes such that the subset of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities and the other graphics attributes are arranged into a contiguous set of graphics attributes without a null value positioned between the subset of graphics attributes having overwrite capabilities and the other graphics attributes;
- and
- computer code for processing the packed graphics attributes utilizing a pixel shader of a processor, by:
- receiving, at the pixel shader, input including an indicator as to whether the front color attributes or the back color attributes are applicable color attributes, and
- inputting only the applicable color attributes to the pixel shader, based on the indicator.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.