Publication number: 20070165035
Abstract: A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple?stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.
Type:
Application
Filed:
December 19, 2006
Publication date:
July 19, 2007
Applicant:
Apple Computer, Inc.
Inventors:
Jerome Duluk, Richard Hessel, Vaughn Arnold, Jack Benkual, Joseph Bratt, George Cuan, Stephen Dodgen, Emerson Fang, Zhaoyu Gong, Thomas Ho, Hengwei Hsu, Sidong Li, Sam Ng, Matthew Papakipos, Jason Redgrave, Sushma Trivedi, Nathan Tuck, Shun Go, Lindy Fung, Tuan Nguyen, Joseph Grass, Bo Hung, Abraham Mammen, Abbas Rashid, Albert Tsay