| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080266286 | GENERATION OF A PARTICLE SYSTEM USING A GEOMETRY SHADER - A geometry shader of a graphics processor is configured to generate at least a portion of a particle system. The geometry shader receives vertex data including a reference set of vertices. The geometry shader also receives control data including information on how to create additional vertices for the particle system using the vertex data. The geometry shader processes the vertex data and control data to generate the additional vertices for the particle system. In some embodiments, the control data also includes information on other attributes of the generated vertices. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080266287 | DECOMPRESSION OF VERTEX DATA USING A GEOMETRY SHADER - A geometry shader of a graphics processor decompresses a set of vertex data representing a simplified model to create a more detailed representation. The geometry shader receives vertex data including a number of vertices representative of a simplified model. The geometry shader decompresses the vertex data by computing additional vertices to create the more detailed representation. In some embodiments, the geometry shader also receives rules data including information on how the vertex data is to be decompressed. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080266296 | UTILIZATION OF SYMMETRICAL PROPERTIES IN RENDERING - The symmetrical properties of a group of vertices are leveraged to reconstruct the group using vertex data for a subset of the vertices and a set of control data. The subset of vertices is symmetrical to one or more other subsets of vertices in the group, and the control data includes information to reconstruct the one or more other subsets using the vertex data for the first set of vertices and symmetrical characteristics of the group. In some embodiments, reconstruction is performed using a geometry shader in a graphics processor to compute the additional vertices. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20090177864 | MULTIPROCESSOR COMPUTING SYSTEMS WITH HETEROGENEOUS PROCESSORS - Heterogeneous processors can cooperate for distributed processing tasks in a multiprocessor computing system. Each processor is operable in a “compatible” mode, in which all processors within a family accept the same baseline command set and produce identical results upon executing any command in the baseline command set. The processors also have a “native” mode of operation in which the command set and/or results may differ in at least some respects from the baseline command set and results. Heterogeneous processors with a compatible mode defined by reference to the same baseline can be used cooperatively for distributed processing by configuring each processor to operate in the compatible mode. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20100079454 | Single Pass Tessellation - A system and method for performing tessellation in a single pass through a graphics processor divides the processing resources within the graphics processor into sets for performing different tessellation operations. Vertex data and tessellation parameters are routed directly from one processing resource to another instead of being stored in memory. Therefore, a surface patch description is provided to the graphics processor and tessellation is completed in a single uninterrupted pass through the graphics processor without storing intermediate data in memory. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20110072211 | Hardware For Parallel Command List Generation - A method for providing state inheritance across command lists in a multi-threaded processing environment. The method includes receiving an application program that includes a plurality of parallel threads; generating a command list for each thread of the plurality of parallel threads; causing a first command list associated with a first thread of the plurality of parallel threads to be executed by a processing unit; and causing a second command list associated with a second thread of the plurality of parallel threads to be executed by the processing unit, where the second command list inherits from the first command list state associated with the processing unit. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110072245 | HARDWARE FOR PARALLEL COMMAND LIST GENERATION - A method for providing state inheritance across command lists in a multi-threaded processing environment. The method includes receiving an application program that includes a plurality of parallel threads; generating a command list for each thread of the plurality of parallel threads; causing a first command list associated with a first thread of the plurality of parallel threads to be executed by a processing unit; and causing a second command list associated with a second thread of the plurality of parallel threads to be executed by the processing unit, where the second command list inherits from the first command list state associated with the processing unit. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110080405 | HERMITE GREGORY PATCH FOR WATERTIGHT TESSELLATION - One embodiment of the present invention sets forth technique for watertight tessellation in a displaced subdivision surface. A subdivision surface is represented as a novel parametric quad patch that is continuous with respect to position (C0) and partial derivatives (C1) along boundaries as well as interior regions. The novel parametric quad patch is referred to herein as a Hermite Gregory patch and comprises a Hermite patch augmented to include a pair of twist vector parameters per vertex. Each pair of twist vectors is combined into one twist vector during evaluation, according to weights based on proximity to parametric boundaries. Evaluation yields an approximation mesh comprising a position for each vertex and a corresponding normal vector for the vertex. Displacement is performed based on the approximation mesh and a displacement map to generate a displaced approximation mesh that is reflective of the displaced subdivision surface. | 04-07-2011 |
| 20110081100 | USING A PIXEL OFFSET FOR EVALUATING A PLANE EQUATION - One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique controlling the pixel location at which the plane equation is evaluated. Multiple pixel offsets (dx, dy) may be specified that each define to a sub-pixel sample position. Attributes are then calculated for each sub-pixel sample position that is covered by a geometric primitive. One advantage of the technique is that anti-aliasing quality may be improved since high frequency color components may be selectively supersampled for particular geometric primitives. | 04-07-2011 |
| 20110085736 | METHOD FOR WATERTIGHT EVALUATION OF AN APPROXIMATE CATMULL-CLARK SURFACE - One embodiment of the present invention sets forth technique for watertight evaluation of Gregory patches for Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces. Each boundary of each patch within a subdivision surface is configured to be owned by one related patch. In general, a given patch may own specific control points for the patch, while certain other control points for the patch may need to be reconstructed because the control points are owned by an adjacent patch. For a given patch, each control point along to a shared boundary is consistently generated using reconstruction data available to the patch. The reconstruction data is generated from values associated with a patch that owns the shared boundary. Because numerically identical data is used to evaluate each patch at each boundary, the boundaries are watertight. One advantage of the present invention is that watertight evaluation may be achieved using similar computational effort versus conventional non-watertight evaluation techniques. | 04-14-2011 |
