A method and apparatus provides for enhanced processing of 3D graphics data such as image-based 3D graphics data. The image-based 3D graphics data may include data defining texture, bump, normals, displacement, etc for underlying objects. In one example, the method and apparatus compresses image-based 3D graphics data as one or more frames contained in one or more videos and decompresses the compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by a GPU. In another example the method and apparatus may also selectively control caching of image-based 3D graphics data. Before so cached, the image-based 3D graphics data may be compressed as one or more frames contained in one or more videos using video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to achieve efficient usage of cache space.