Abstract: A method and apparatus for visiting all productive stamp positions for a two-dimensional convex polygonal object. The object is visited with a stamp that has a stamp rectangle, and one or more discrete sample points. A productive location is one for which the object contains at least one of the stamp's sample points when the stamp is placed at that location. An unproductive location is one for which the object contains none of the stamp's sample points when the stamp is placed at that location. Stamp locations are discrete points that are separated vertically by the stamp rectangle's height, and horizontally by the stamp rectangle's width. The stamp may move to a nearby position, or to a previously saved position, as it traverses the object. The stamp moves in such a way as to visit all productive locations for an object while avoiding most of the unproductive locations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for visiting all stamps that are relevant to a two-dimensional convex polygonal object. The object is visited with a rectangular stamp, which contains one or more discrete sample points. A relevant location is one for which the object contains at least one of the stamp's sample points when the stamp is placed at that location. Stamp locations are discrete points that are separated vertically by the stamp's height, and horizontally by the stamp's width. The stamp may move to a nearby position, or to a previously saved position, as it traverses the object. The plane in which the object lies is partitioned into rectangular tiles, which are at least as wide and high as the stamp. The invention visits stamp locations in an order that respects tile boundaries—that is, it visits all locations within one tile before visiting any locations within another tile.

Abstract: In a graphics pipeline, a rasterizer circuit generates fragments for an image having multiple surfaces that have been tessellated into primitive objects, such as triangles. First and second fragments are associated with the same pixel. A merge buffer merges the first fragment with the second fragment when the two fragments belong to the same tessellated surface, the first fragment's primitive is adjacent to the second fragment's primitive, both fragments face either toward or away from the viewer, and the first and second fragment are sufficiently similar that merging is unlikely to introduce visually objectionable artifacts. A frame buffer receives fragments from the merge buffer, stores the fragments, combines the fragments into pixels, and outputs the pixels to a display.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for visiting all productive stamp positions for a two-dimensional convex polygonal object. The object is visited with a stamp that has a stamp rectangle, and one or more discrete sample points. A productive location is one for which the object contains at least one of the stamp's sample points when the stamp is placed at that location. An unproductive location is one for which the object contains none of the stamp's sample points when the stamp is placed at that location. Stamp locations are discrete points that are separated vertically by the stamp rectangle's height, and horizontally by the stamp rectangle's width. The stamp may move to a nearby position, or to a previously saved position, as it traverses the object. The stamp moves in such a way as to visit all productive locations for an object while avoiding most of the unproductive locations.

Abstract: In a graphics pipeline, a rasterizer circuit generates fragments for an image having multiple surfaces that have been tessellated into primitive objects, such as triangles. First and second fragments are associated with the same pixel. A merge buffer merges the first fragment with the second fragment when the two fragments belong to the same tessellated surface, the first fragment's primitive is adjacent to the second fragment's primitive, both fragments face either toward or away from the viewer, and the first and second fragment are sufficiently similar that merging is unlikely to introduce visually objectionable artifacts. A frame buffer receives fragments from the merge buffer, stores the fragments, combines the fragments into pixels, and outputs the pixels to a display.

Abstract: An apparatus generates one-dimensional dither values for dithering linear digital signals where each digital signal having an address and a signal value. The apparatus includes a counter incremented for each sequential address of the digital signals. A predetermined number of least significant bits from the current values of the counter are selected and reversed wired to generate dither values that are applied to the corresponding signal values.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for visiting all stamps that are relevant to a two-dimensional convex polygonal object. The object is visited with a rectangular stamp, which contains one or more discrete sample points. A relevant location is one for which the object contains at least one of the stamp's sample points when the stamp is placed at that location. Stamp locations are discrete points that are separated vertically by the stamp's height, and horizontally by the stamp's width. The stamp may move to a nearby position, or to a previously saved position, as it traverses the object. The plane in which the object lies is partitioned into rectangular tiles, which are at least as wide and high as the stamp. The invention visits stamp locations in an order that respects tile boundaries—that is, it visits all locations within one tile before visiting any locations within another tile.

Abstract: An apparatus for dithering a signal such as a pixels of an image having multiple address dimensions. A predetermined number of least significant bits of a first address of the pixel are used to index a one-dimensional dither array. Indexing the array produces a first dither value. A predetermined least number of significant bits of a second address of the pixel are combined with the first dither value to index a second one-dimensional dither array. The indexing of the second array produces a final dither value that can be used to dither the pixels.