Temporary low resolution rendering of 3D objects

#The present invention is directed to computer systems. More particularly, it is directed to graphical image processing.

#Three-dimensional (3D) graphics rendering is a process of generating an image from a 3D model, generally by means of software programs and/or graphics hardware. The model is generally a description of 3D objects in a strictly defined language or data structure and may contain geometry, viewpoint, texture and lighting information. A 3D model may include polygons, such as triangles, representing the surface of the 3D model. The polygons from the 3D model may be drawn, rendered or rasterized onto a two-dimensional (2D) surface, such as a computer screen.

#Large complex images may be defined using layers. Layers are independent images that can be manipulated as if each layer were an independent image. Each layer only forms a part of the final image. Layers are like transparencies stacked one on top of one another. Each layer may have different objects, images and effects. Layers allow users to work on separate images in order to modify sections without changing the entire image. When the layers are stacked, the images appear as if they are all a single image. The final image will be made up from all of the layers within the image depending on the order of the layers.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a computer system capable of implementing temporary low resolution rendering of 3D objects, as described herein.

#FIGS. 2A-2E are block diagrams illustrating temporary low resolution rendering of 3D objects, according to one embodiment.

#FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for temporary low resolution rendering of 3D objects.

#While the invention is described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Any headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used herein, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.

#A graphics application may be configured to render 3D scenes in a tiled, raster environment. Generally, each image in a tiled, raster environment has an associated or specified resolution in terms of pixels. In other words, an image naturally has a particular size in terms of pixels associated with it. For instance, when creating a new image, a user may specify the overall size of the image in pixels, such as 800×600 or 1280×1024. Thus, when drawing or rendering objects into an image, a graphics application may be configured to render the objects at the resolution specified for the image. Additionally, rather than render the entire image at once at the specified resolution, the graphics application may be configured to render the image as a set of image tiles, where each image tile represents a small portion of the overall image. Using multiple image tiles to render an image, especially a large, high-resolution image, may prevent having to load the entire image into memory.

#A graphics application may also allow an image document to include multiple image layers as described above. In some embodiments, the graphics application may allow 3D artwork or scenes to be included as layers in an image document. Thus, the graphics application may be configured to render 3D scenes from 3D models and include the rendered scenes as one or more layers in an image document. In some embodiments, the graphics application may be configured to temporarily render 3D scenes at a lower resolution than that specified for the final image and may further be configured to render the 3D scene without using multiple image tiles, as will be described in more detail below.