公开(公告)号：US20180268599A1

公开(公告)日：2018-09-20

申请号：US15985208

申请日：2018-05-21

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： John W. Howson ,  Luke T. Peterson

IPC: G06T15/06 ,  G06T1/20 ,  G06T15/00

CPC classification number: G06T15/06 ,  G06T1/20 ,  G06T15/005

Abstract: Systems and methods of geometry processing, for rasterization and ray tracing processes provide for pre-processing of source geometry, such as by tessellating or other procedural modification of source geometry, to produce final geometry on which a rendering will be based. An acceleration structure (or portion thereof) for use during ray tracing is defined based on the final geometry. Only coarse-grained elements of the acceleration structure may be produced or retained, and a fine-grained structure within a particular coarse-grained element may be Produced in response to a collection of rays being ready for traversal within the coarse grained element. Final geometry can be recreated in response to demand from a rasterization engine, and from ray intersection units that require such geometry for intersection testing with primitives. Geometry at different resolutions can be generated to respond to demands from different rendering components.

公开(公告)号：US09805500B2

公开(公告)日：2017-10-31

申请号：US14135278

申请日：2013-12-19

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： Xile Yang ,  John W. Howson ,  Simon Fenney

IPC: G06T15/40 ,  G06T15/00

CPC classification number: G06T15/405 ,  G06T15/005

Abstract: A method and system is provided for culling hidden objects in a tile-based graphics system before they are indicated in a display list for a tile. A rendering space is divided into a plurality of regions which may for example be a plurality of tiles or a plurality of areas into which one or more tiles are divided. Depth thresholds for the regions, which are used to identify hidden objects for culling, are updated when an object entirely covers a region and in dependence on a comparison between a depth value for the object and the depth threshold for the region. For example, if the depth threshold is a maximum depth threshold, the depth threshold may be updated if an object entirely covers the tile and the maximum depth value of the object is less than the maximum depth threshold.

公开(公告)号：US20170178280A1

公开(公告)日：2017-06-22

申请号：US15454792

申请日：2017-03-09

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： Steven J. Fishwick ,  John W. Howson

IPC: G06T1/20

CPC classification number: G06T1/20 ,  G06T1/00 ,  G06T15/005

Abstract: A method and system for generating and shading a computer graphics image in a tile based computer graphics system is provided. Geometry data is supplied and a plurality of primitives are derived from the geometry data. One or more modified primitives are then derived from at least one of the plurality of primitives. For each of a plurality of tiles, an object list is derived including data identifying the primitive from which each modified primitive located at least partially within that tile is derived. Alternatively, the object list may include data identifying each modified primitive located at least partially within that tile. Each tile is then shaded for display using its respective object list.

公开(公告)号：US09390547B2

公开(公告)日：2016-07-12

申请号：US14297046

申请日：2014-06-05

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： John W. Howson

IPC: G06T15/08 ,  G06T1/60 ,  G06T15/00 ,  G06T15/40 ,  G06T15/80

CPC classification number: G06T15/405 ,  G06T1/60 ,  G06T15/005 ,  G06T15/04 ,  G06T15/08 ,  G06T15/40 ,  G06T15/80 ,  G06T17/10

Abstract: 3-D rendering systems include a rasterization section that can fetch untransformed geometry, transform geometry and cache data for transformed geometry in a memory. As an example, the rasterization section can transform the geometry into screen space. The geometry can include one or more of static geometry and dynamic geometry. The rasterization section can query the cache for presence of data pertaining to a specific element or elements of geometry, and use that data from the cache, if present, and otherwise perform the transformation again, for actions such as hidden surface removal. The rasterization section can receive, from a geometry processing section, tiled geometry lists and perform the hidden surface removal for pixels within respective tiles to which those lists pertain.

Abstract translation: 3-D渲染系统包括一个光栅化部分，它可以获取未转换的几何图形，将几何变换和高速缓存数据转换为存储器中的几何。 作为示例，光栅化部分可以将几何图形转换为屏幕空间。 几何可以包括一个或多个静态几何和动态几何。 光栅化部分可以查询高速缓存中有关特定元素或几何元素的数据的存在，并使用来自缓存的数据（如果存在），否则再次执行转换，例如隐藏表面删除等操作。 光栅化部分可以从几何处理部分接收平铺几何列表，并对这些列表所属的各个瓦片内的像素执行隐藏的表面移除。

公开(公告)号：US20140071150A1

公开(公告)日：2014-03-13

申请号：US13936000

申请日：2013-07-05

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： Steven J. Fishwick ,  John W. Howson

IPC: G06T1/00

CPC classification number: G06T1/20 ,  G06T1/00 ,  G06T15/005

Abstract: A method and system for generating and shading a computer graphics image in a tile based computer graphics system is provided. Geometry data is supplied and a plurality of primitives are derived from the geometry data. One or more modified primitives are then derived from at least one of the plurality of primitives. For each of a plurality of tiles, an object list is derived including data identifying the primitive from which each modified primitive located at least partially within that tile is derived. Alternatively, the object list may include data identifying each modified primitive located at least partially within that tile. Each tile is then shaded for display using its respective object list.

Abstract translation: 提供了一种用于在基于瓦片的计算机图形系统中生成和着色计算机图形图像的方法和系统。 提供几何数据，并从几何数据中导出多个基元。 然后从多个基元中的至少一个基元导出一个或多个经修改的原语。 对于多个瓦片中的每一个，导出对象列表，其包括识别至少部分地位于该瓦片内的每个经修改的基元的导出的图元的数据。 或者，对象列表可以包括识别至少部分地位于该块内的每个修改的原语的数据。 然后使用其各自的对象列表将每个瓦片用阴影进行显示。

公开(公告)号：US20140071122A1

公开(公告)日：2014-03-13

申请号：US13959414

申请日：2013-08-05

Applicant: IMAGINATION TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： John W. Howson

IPC: G06T15/10

CPC classification number: G06T15/10 ,  G06T1/20 ,  G06T11/40

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for combining multiple independent tile-based graphic cores. A block of geometry, containing a plurality of triangles, is split into sub-portions and sent to different geometry processing units. Each geometry processing unit generates a separate tiled geometry list that contains interleave markers that indicate an end to a sub-portion of a block of geometry overlapping a particular tile, processed by that geometry processing unit, and an end marker that identifies an end to all geometry processed for a particular tile by that geometry processing unit. The interleave markers are used to control an order of presentation of geometry to a hidden surface removal unit for a particular tile, and the end markers are used to control when the tile reference lists, for a particular tile, have been completely traversed.

Abstract translation: 提供了一种用于组合多个独立的基于瓦片的图形核心的方法和装置。 包含多个三角形的几何体块被分割成子部分并发送到不同的几何处理单元。 每个几何处理单元产生单独的平铺几何列表，其包含交错标记，其指示与由该几何处理单元处理的特定瓦片重叠的几何体块的子部分的结束以及标识所有的结束的结束标记 由几何处理单元为特定瓦片处理的几何图形。 交错标记用于控制几何的呈现顺序到用于特定瓦片的隐藏表面去除单元，并且结束标记用于控制对于特定瓦片的瓦片参考列表何时已被完全穿过。

公开(公告)号：US20240403995A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-05

申请号：US18798450

申请日：2024-08-08

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： John W. Howson ,  Richard Broadhurst ,  Steven Fishwick

IPC: G06T1/20 ,  G06T1/60 ,  G06T7/11 ,  G06T9/00 ,  G06T11/40 ,  G06T15/00 ,  H04N19/00 ,  H04N19/115 ,  H04N19/117 ,  H04N19/124 ,  H04N19/14 ,  H04N19/174

Abstract: A computing system comprises graphics rendering logic and image processing logic. The graphics rendering logic processes graphics data to render an image using a rendering space which is sub-divided into a plurality of tiles. Cost indication logic obtains a cost indication for each of a plurality of sets of one or more tiles of the rendering space, wherein the cost indication for a set of one or more tiles is suggestive of a cost of processing rendered image values for a region of the rendered image corresponding to the set of one or more tiles. The image processing logic processes rendered image values for regions of the rendered image. The computing system causes the image processing logic to process rendered image values for regions of the rendered image in dependence on the cost indications for the corresponding sets of one or more tiles.

公开(公告)号：US12067681B2

公开(公告)日：2024-08-20

申请号：US18208805

申请日：2023-06-12

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： John W. Howson

IPC: G06T17/20 ,  G06F9/38 ,  G06T1/20 ,  G06T15/10

CPC classification number: G06T17/20 ,  G06F9/3885 ,  G06T1/20 ,  G06T15/10

Abstract: Methods and tessellation modules for tessellating a patch to generate tessellated geometry data representing the tessellated patch. Received geometry data representing a patch is processed to identify tessellation factors of the patch. Based on the identified tessellation factors of the patch, tessellation instances to be used in tessellating the patch are determined. The tessellation instances are allocated amongst a plurality of tessellation pipelines that operate in parallel, wherein a respective set of one or more of the tessellation instances is allocated to each of the tessellation pipelines, and wherein each of the tessellation pipelines generates tessellated geometry data associated with the respective allocated set of one or more of the tessellation instances.

公开(公告)号：US11989816B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-21

申请号：US17680947

申请日：2022-02-25

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： Panagiotis Velentzas ,  John W. Howson ,  Richard Broadhurst

IPC: G06T15/00 ,  G06F9/50

CPC classification number: G06T15/005 ,  G06F9/5016

Abstract: A method of managing resources in a graphics processing pipeline includes, in response to selecting a task for execution within a texture/shading unit, allocating to the task both a static allocation of temporary registers for the entire task and a dynamic allocation of temporary registers. The dynamic allocation comprises temporary registers used by a first phase of the task only and the static allocation of temporary registers comprises any temporary registers that are used by the program and are live at a boundary between two phases. When the task subsequently reaches a boundary between two phases, the dynamic allocation of temporary registers are freed and a new dynamic allocation of temporary registers for a next phase of the task is allocated to the task.

公开(公告)号：US20230401778A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-14

申请号：US18129197

申请日：2023-03-31

Applicant: Imagination Technologies Limited

Inventor： John W. Howson ,  Xile Yang ,  Maurizio Zucchelli

IPC: G06T15/00

CPC classification number: G06T15/005

Abstract: A method and system for performing a render using a graphics processing unit that implements a tile-based graphics pipeline where a rendering space is sub-divided into tiles. Primitives are received that were processed by a geometry processing stage of the graphics pipeline and these are grouped into one or more sets, and a primitive block generated from each set. Primitive block data is stored characterising the content of the one or more primitive blocks. It is determined which tile each of the primitives are located in, and for at least one selected tile a per-tile primitive block list is stored indicating which of the one or more primitive blocks contain primitives located in that tile. It is determined whether the output of a previous render for the selected tile(s) can be used as an output for the render based on the per-tile primitive block list and the primitive block data for the primitive blocks indicated therein, and corresponding data from the previous render.