Solid Texture Patents (Class 345/583)
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Patent number: 7623138Abstract: The analysis and evaluation techniques of a gamut mapping technique, which can reflect the determination result of the quality of gamut mapping in the gamut mapping technique, are demanded. Hence, a color distribution information file and image file are loaded, initial 3D object data is generated based on color distribution data, and initial image object data is generated based on image data. The image object data and 3D object data are displayed on a monitor. When the user inputs a message, a process corresponding to the input message is executed, and the updated image object data and 3D object data are displayed on the monitor.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2006Date of Patent: November 24, 2009Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Suzuko Fukao, Hirochika Matsuoka, Kimitaka Arai
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Patent number: 7612910Abstract: An information processing apparatus accurately and automatically determines whether a page to be printed out or rendered is a color page or a monochrome page. In order to efficiently output the page, color/monochrome determination is performed to the page by examining all the pixels forming a bitmap image based on the bitmap image and an attribute bitmap image.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2003Date of Patent: November 3, 2009Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Joji Oki
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Patent number: 7605821Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention relates to a system for reconstructing an image. During operation, the system receives an original image, wherein the original image includes a defective area to be reconstructed. The system also receives a reference to a texture image, which contains a texture to be used during the reconstruction. The system then divides the values of pixels in the defective area and surrounding boundary pixels, by the values of corresponding pixels in the texture image to produce a first intermediate image. Next, the system solves a partial differential equation (PDE) for non-boundary pixels in the first intermediate image subject to values of the boundary pixels in the first intermediate image to produce a second intermediate image. The system then multiplies the values of pixels in the second intermediate image by the values of corresponding pixels in the texture image to produce a replacement image.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2005Date of Patent: October 20, 2009Assignee: Adobe Systems IncorporatedInventor: Todor G. Georgiev
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Patent number: 7602396Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program apparatus, implementing techniques for processing digital artwork. In one aspect, the techniques process aggregations of artwork where both the aggregation and at least some of the aggregated artwork have attached styles. The techniques handle various combinations of conditions resulting in applying style elements to the aggregation before or after applying style elements to underlying artwork. In another aspect, the techniques implement editable path objects having multiple attached fills and/or strokes. The techniques provide user interfaces for using the foregoing features.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2006Date of Patent: October 13, 2009Assignee: Adobe Systems IncorporatedInventors: Paul J. Asente, Pierre Louveaux, Frank Guinan, Teri Pettit, Darin Tomack, Robert S. Sargent, Paul A. George
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Patent number: 7542047Abstract: As for a multi-dimensional texture constituted by a plurality of textures different in photographing environment such as a viewing position or lighting conditions, texture images constituting the multi-dimensional texture are rearranged block by block or pixel by pixel, and converted into an anisotropic texture expressing anisotropic variations of the multi-dimensional texture in an area corresponding to the block or the pixel.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2008Date of Patent: June 2, 2009Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventor: Yasunobu Yamauchi
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Patent number: 7463766Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for conveying and applying texturing instructions within a very low speed, or bandwidth environment, or where storage capacity is limited; the invention and of particular use in image displaying mobile telephones (16), but also applies to image data storage (184, 186, 188, 190, 192) and use on the Internet. Image texturing is defined by a texture string (198) defining a seed number (200) for pseudo random generation of z axis displacement of pixels from an initial surface, a roughness value (202) for the surface, warp function values (204, 206), distortion function values (208, 210), texturing cell style and size data (212, 214) colour information (216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226) and indication of where the texture is to be used (228). Cells (20) tile and wrap.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2002Date of Patent: December 9, 2008Assignee: Superscape Group PLCInventor: Jonathan Gordon Grove
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Patent number: 7460117Abstract: Subsets of volume data are sequentially stored for volume rendering from two dimensional textures. For example, pairs of adjacent two-dimensional images are loaded into RAM or cache. One or more strips of texture data are interpolated for polygons extending between the two-dimensional images. The strips or polygons are more orthogonal to a viewing direction than the two-dimensional images. After interpolating texture data from the two-dimensional images for a plurality of non-coplanar polygons, the texture data is rendered. The rendered information represents one portion of the three dimensional representation. Other portions are rendered by repeating the process for other pairs or subset groups of adjacent two-dimensional images. A lower cost apparatus, such as a programmed computer or a GPU with a limited amount of memory, is able to render images for three dimensional representations of very large three-dimensional arrays. The images may be rendered without copying volume data for different main axes.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2005Date of Patent: December 2, 2008Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.Inventors: Klaus D. Engel, Gianluca Paladini
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Patent number: 7414625Abstract: A technique generates a glow effect in an image. The technique selects an area within a scene that is to glow to produce a selected area image, generates glow using the selected area image to produce a glowing area image, and then adds the glowing area image to the scene to provide the glow effect.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2006Date of Patent: August 19, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Owens Rodriguez, Sean E. Dunn
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Patent number: 7408548Abstract: A complex procedural surface can be expressed based on some constructive solid geometry operations performed on primitive procedural surfaces. The domain based representation of the complex procedural surface includes implicit curves of intersection. During pre-processing, the parts of the domain based representation to be triangulated are first sub-divided into simple triangles not bound on any side by an edge related to the parameterized regions of the implicit curve and curve visibility triangles. The coarse pre-processed triangulated mesh is later refined during runtime by further sub-dividing the coarse mesh to add triangles with curve based edges and non-curve based edges to generate a mesh of sampling triangles. The more refined sampling triangle mesh is further refined by applying geometry instancing to map appropriate instance meshes into the appropriate sampling triangles to create an even more refined triangulated mesh at runtime for rendering.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2005Date of Patent: August 5, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Brian K. Guenter, Marcel Gavriliu
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Patent number: 7391422Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program apparatus, implementing techniques for processing digital artwork. In one aspect, the techniques process aggregations of artwork where both the aggregation and at least some of the aggregated artwork have attached styles. The techniques handle various combinations of conditions resulting in applying style elements to the aggregation before or after applying style elements to underlying artwork. In another aspect, the techniques implement editable path objects having multiple attached fills and/or strokes. The techniques provide user interfaces for using the foregoing features.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2000Date of Patent: June 24, 2008Assignee: Adobe Systems IncorporatedInventors: Frank Guinan, Paul J. Asente, Teri Pettit, Darin Tomack
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Patent number: 7379072Abstract: In a method for determining weighting factors for the color calculation of a color value of texels for a footprint covering a plurality of texels in a texel grid, in a graphic system, form information of the footprint is determined at first. Afterwards, the edges of the footprint are determined and the edges determined in this way are approximated by a staircase function. The texels of the texel grid contacted by the staircase function are determined and a weighting factor is determined for each texel containing a portion of the staircase function, depending on the subarea of the respective texel covered by the footprint.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2004Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Thomas Haaker, Roland Richter
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Patent number: 7355603Abstract: Floating-point texture filtering units leverage existing fixed-point filter circuits. Groups of floating-point texture values are converted to products of a fixed-point mantissa and a scaling factor that is the same for each texture value in the group. The fixed-point mantissas are filtered using a fixed-point filter circuit, and the filtered mantissa is combined with the scaling factor to determine a floating-point filtered value. Multiple floating-point filter results may be combined in a floating-point accumulator circuit. The same fixed-point filter circuit may also be used to filter fixed-point texture data by providing fixed-point input path that bypasses the format conversion and a fixed-point accumulator.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2004Date of Patent: April 8, 2008Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Walter E. Donovan, Anders M. Kugler, Christopher D. S. Donham
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Patent number: 7356453Abstract: A system and method for merging carpet design image patterns in order to create a custom-designed patterned carpet image. A customized carpet image is defined by identifying a plurality of carpet design fields within a carpet and selecting a distinct design pattern from a plurality of selection options for each identified carpet design field in order to define a customized design field pattern. The customized design field pattern comprises the selected design pattern. Merging the customized design field patterns together defines an image of a custom-designed carpet. Further, a strike-off of the image of the custom-designed carpet image can be produced from the system and method.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2002Date of Patent: April 8, 2008Assignee: Columbia Insurance CompanyInventor: Dwayne Martin Gould
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Patent number: 7348989Abstract: A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, a computer readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, all for providing a graphic image utilizing view-dependent texture data, including a graphic data code segment for providing data representing a graphic image and a texture data code segment in operational association with the graphic data code segment.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2003Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: Arch Vision, Inc.Inventors: Randall S. Stevens, David T. Guinnip, Jaynes Christopher
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Patent number: 7348990Abstract: As for a multi-dimensional texture constituted by a plurality of textures different in photographing environment such as a viewing position or lighting conditions, texture images constituting the multi-dimensional texture are rearranged block by block or pixel by pixel, and converted into an anisotropic texture expressing anisotropic variations of the multi-dimensional texture in an area corresponding to the block or the pixel.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2003Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: Kabushki Kaisha ToshibaInventor: Yasunobu Yamauchi
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Patent number: 7280114Abstract: A method is described to render a line stipple pattern in an ad hoc piecewise fashion by creating a texture map having information that represents the line stipple pattern. The method also includes, for each of a plurality of line primitives that each represent a different section of the line stipple pattern, mapping a section of the texture map's information to its corresponding line primitive.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2003Date of Patent: October 9, 2007Assignee: Intel CorporationInventor: Bimal Poddar
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Patent number: 7245300Abstract: A slice plane, oriented parallel to a viewing plane, is passed through a cuboidal dataset at regular intervals. The intersection of the slice plane with the cuboidal volume dataset results in primitives (quads, triangles, etc. depending on the angle and position of the intersection) whose vertices have position coordinates (xu, yu, zu) and 3D-texture coordinates (r, s, t). The resulting primitives are rasterized using, for example, a traditional 3D graphics pipeline wherein the 3D-texture coordinates are interpolated across the scanlines producing 3D-texture coordinates for each fragment. The resulting 3D-texture coordinates for each fragment are stored in a 2D-texture storage area. These 2D-textures are called density-textures. By preprocessing the cuboidal dataset, the rendering process becomes a compositing process. A rendering process is comprised of looking-up, for each densel in the texture, the corresponding color and opacity values in the current lookup-table.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2005Date of Patent: July 17, 2007Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventor: Kartik Venkataraman
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Patent number: 7233337Abstract: A method comprising generating a surface detail model using a modeling technique, and rendering surface detail in accordance with the developed surface detail model over an object surface. The described method enables computer-generated images containing representations of hair to be rendered in real time.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2005Date of Patent: June 19, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Jerome E. Lengyel
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Patent number: 7230624Abstract: A method comprising generating a surface detail model using a modeling technique, and rendering surface detail in accordance with the developed surface detail model over an object surface. The described method enables computer-generated images containing representations of hair to be rendered in real time.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2005Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Jerome E. Lengyel
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Patent number: 7227550Abstract: A processing module converts an input signal, which is generated in a computer system device, into a digital output signal at a video output. The digital output signal is adapted to be visualized by a display device. The processing module includes a scaler for scaling a resolution of the output signal to match a resolution of the display device. The processing module can be combined with a display adapter which incorporates a graphical processor and memory. Furthermore, the processing module may include a selector for selecting a resolution for the output signal, corresponding to a resolution of the display device.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2002Date of Patent: June 5, 2007Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.Inventors: Giuseppe Pasqualini, Luigi Albani, Giovanni Lonoce
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Patent number: 7196706Abstract: In a computer graphics rendering process, a first triangle-shaped primitive and a second triangle-shaped primitive that are connected (that is, they share vertices and a side) are optionally combined to form a quadrangle-shaped primitive. When the first and second triangle-shaped primitives are combined, the resultant quadrangle-shaped primitive is forwarded to a quad-based rasterization process (e.g., a rasterizer or rasterizer subsystem). Otherwise, the first triangle-shaped primitive is forwarded to the rasterization process. The second triangle-shaped primitive may also be forwarded to the rasterization process separate from the first, or it may be used to form a quadrangle in combination with another triangle primitive connected to it. A graphics subsystem could effectively double its throughput of connected triangle primitives by going from three vertices and three edges per primitive to four vertices and four edges per primitive.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2005Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Robert W. Sherburne
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Patent number: 7170527Abstract: Shadows, which play an important role in perceiving the shape and texture of an object, are simulated interactively in a real time, self-shadowing of a bump mapped surface for a computer rendered object. A computer graphics textured object function defines a horizon map over an orientation in a tangent space of the object using different textures or basis functions. The implementation can be performed using commodity graphics hardware by precomputing the horizon map for limited visibility for each point on the bump mapped surface given light in each of a plurality of radial directions. The horizon map is used to produce self-shadowing of the bump mapped surface of the object.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2004Date of Patent: January 30, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Peter-Pike Sloan, Michael F. Cohen
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Patent number: 7167177Abstract: A method and system for efficient synthesis of photorealistic free-form knitwear, where a single cross-section of yarn serves as the basic primitive for modeling entire articles of knitwear. This primitive, called the lumislice, describes radiance from a yarn cross-section based on fine-level interactions, including occlusion, shadowing, and multiple scattering, among yarn fibers. By representing yarn as a sequence of identical but rotated cross-sections, the lumislice can effectively propagate local microstructure over arbitrary stitch patterns and knitwear shapes. This framework accommodates varying levels of detail and capitalizes on hardware-assisted transparency blending. To further enhance realism, a technique for generating soft shadows from yarn is also introduced.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2005Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Baining Guo, Stephen S. Lin, Heung-Yeung Shum, Ying-Qing Xu, Yanyun Chen
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Patent number: 7164418Abstract: A three-dimensional virtual model is entered that is made up of various components. An attribute definition file is then created that includes an attribute list defining different attributes for component of the three-dimensional virtual model. A rule definition file is further created that defines in advance a conversion rule for converting an attribute value into a display color for each attribute of the components. When the user selects an attribute to be color coded from the attribute list and selects a conversion rule corresponding to the selected attribute, components of the three-dimensional virtual model are displayed with different colors in conformity with the conversion rule selected.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2002Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu LimitedInventor: Tatsuro Shima
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Patent number: 7154504Abstract: Disclosed is a system for rendering an image of an object having a curved surface. The system includes a component for determining an integer M number of attributes relating to rendering the image and a component for pre-computing an integer N number of attributes relating to rendering the image. N is less than or equal to M and the N number of attributes are pre-computable.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2001Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Nadim Abdo
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Patent number: 7154507Abstract: A system, method and computer program product are provided for texture shading in a hardware graphics processor. Initially, a plurality of texture coordinates is identified. Further, it is determined whether a hardware graphics processor is operating in a texture shader mode. If the hardware graphics processor is operating in the texture shader mode, the texture coordinates are mapped to colors utilizing a plurality of texture shader stages in the hardware graphics processor. If, however, the hardware graphics processor is not operating in the texture shader mode, the texture coordinates are mapped to colors utilizing a conventional graphics application program interface (API) in conjunction with the hardware graphics processor.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2004Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Henry P. Moreton, John Erik Lindholm, Matthew N. Papakipos, Harold Robert Feldman Zatz
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Patent number: 7133044Abstract: A method of displacing a tessellated surface, based on features of a displacement map, by analyzing a model to determine the level of detail in the model. Where the level of detail is high the number of polygons, typically triangles, used to represent the high detail area is increased through the use of “sub-triangles”. The positions of the sub-triangles are also strategically located and constrained to better represent the high detail area, particularly any edges in the area. The level of detail can be determined using a displacement map for the surface. The positions of the triangles can be located by determining feature points (or sub-triangle vertices) in the areas of detail where the feature points can be moved toward the areas of high rate of change and additional feature points can be added. The feature points can be connected to form the sub-triangles with an emphasis or constraint on connecting points along an edge or border.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2002Date of Patent: November 7, 2006Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.Inventors: Jerome Maillot, Xiaohuan Wang
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Patent number: 7129944Abstract: A method and system for efficient synthesis of photorealistic free-form knitwear, where a single cross-section of yarn serves as the basic primitive for modeling entire articles of knitwear. This primitive, called the lumislice, describes radiance from a yarn cross-section based on fine-level interactions, including occlusion, shadowing, and multiple scattering, among yarn fibers. By representing yarn as a sequence of identical but rotated cross-sections, the lumislice can effectively propagate local microstructure over arbitrary stitch patterns and knitwear shapes. This framework accommodates varying levels of detail and capitalizes on hardware-assisted transparency blending. To further enhance realism, a technique for generating soft shadows from yarn is also introduced.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2004Date of Patent: October 31, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Baining Guo, Stephen S. Lin, Heung-Yeung Shum, Ying-Qing Xu, Yanyun Chen
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Patent number: 7126605Abstract: The present invention relates to computer graphics applications involving scene rendering using objects modeled at multiple levels of detail. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a ray tracer implementation allows users to specify multiple versions of a particular object, categorized by LOD ID's. A scene server selects the version appropriate for the particular scene, based on the size of the object on the screen for example, and provides a smooth transition between multiple versions of an object model. In one example, the scene server will select two LOD representations associated with a given object and assign relative weights to each representation. The LOD weights are specified to indicate how to blend these representations together.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2003Date of Patent: October 24, 2006Inventors: Aaftab A. Munshi, Mark Wood-Patrick
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Patent number: 7126609Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program apparatus, implementing techniques for processing digital artwork. In one aspect, the techniques process aggregations of artwork where both the aggregation and at least some of the aggregated artwork have attached styles. The techniques handle various combinations of conditions resulting in applying style elements to the aggregation before or after applying style elements to underlying artwork. In another aspect, the techniques implement editable path objects having multiple attached fills and/or strokes. The techniques provide user interfaces for using the foregoing features.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2000Date of Patent: October 24, 2006Assignee: Adobe Systems IncorporatedInventors: Paul J. Asente, Pierre Louveaux, Frank Guinan, Teri Pettit, Darin Tomack, Robert S. Sargent, Paul A. George
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Patent number: 7126602Abstract: Shadows, which play an important role in perceiving the shape and texture of an object, are simulated interactively in a real time, self-shadowing of a bump mapped surface for a computer rendered object. A computer graphics textured object function defines a horizon map over an orientation in a tangent space of the object using different textures or basis functions. The implementation can be performed using commodity graphics hardware by precomputing the horizon map for limited visibility for each point on the bump mapped surface given light in each of a plurality of radial directions. The horizon map is used to produce self-shadowing of the bump mapped surface of the object.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2004Date of Patent: October 24, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Peter-Pike Sloan, Michael F. Cohen
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Patent number: 7113192Abstract: A method is described that involves storing 1D texture map information within a 2D texture map. The 1D texture map has a size that exceeds a maximum allowable 1D texture map size.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2003Date of Patent: September 26, 2006Assignee: Intel CorporationInventor: Bimal Poddar
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Patent number: 7106325Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for rendering a digital image having surface reflectance properties is disclosed. The method comprises creating a parametric texture map that comprises parameters for an equation that defines a surface structure in a manner in which the appearance of the surface structure includes surface reflectance properties. The method further comprises rendering a digital image using the parametric texture map.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2001Date of Patent: September 12, 2006Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Bradford A. Ritter, Daniel G. Gelb, Thomas Malzbender
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Patent number: 7102647Abstract: Shadows, which play an important role in perceiving the shape and texture of an object, are simulated interactively in a real time, self-shadowing of a bump mapped surface for a computer rendered object. A computer graphics textured object function defines a horizon map over an orientation in a tangent space of the object using different textures or basis functions. The implementation can be performed using commodity graphics hardware by precomputing the horizon map for limited visibility for each point on the bump mapped surface given light in each of a plurality of radial directions. The horizon map is used to produce self-shadowing of the bump mapped surface of the object.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2001Date of Patent: September 5, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Peter-Pike Sloan, Michael F. Cohen
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Patent number: 7095419Abstract: Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline that includes (N) physical texture units and one or more associated buffers emulates a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel. During each texture pass only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform look-ups on a given pass for the corresponding N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes are blended by texture blenders to provide composite texture values. In successive passes, the buffers are used for temporary data and the most current composite texture values. The process is repeated until all desired texture maps are applied.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2005Date of Patent: August 22, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Nicholas R. Baker, Jeffrey A. Andrews, Mei-Chi M. Liu
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Patent number: 7091971Abstract: A secondary representative Z value memory includes a reduced-resolution representation of a primary representative Z value memory. Upon updating of a block of the primary representative Z value memory, one or more corresponding values are calculated for updating the reduced-resolution representation.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2002Date of Patent: August 15, 2006Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Stephen L. Morein
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Patent number: 7061501Abstract: A pencil-sketch image is rendered from three-dimensional (3D) data by determining a pencil-sketch texture for a polygon defined by the 3D data, projecting the polygon onto a two-dimensional surface, and mapping the pencil-sketch texture onto the polygon to render the pencil-sketch image. The pencil-sketch texture is determined by obtaining a value based on a normal vector to the polygon and a light vector between the polygon and a light source, classifying the polygon based on the value, and associating the pencil-sketch texture with the polygon based on the classification of the polygon.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2000Date of Patent: June 13, 2006Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Adam T. Lake, Marc S. Blackstein, Carl S. Marshall, Daniel Johnston
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Patent number: 7015907Abstract: A method for segmentation of 3D structures in CT and MR images is provided. The method is based on 3D ray propagation by mean-shift analysis with a smoothness constraint. Ray propagation is used to guide an evolving surface due to its computational efficiency and shape priors are incorporated for robust convergence. The method includes the steps of receiving 3D image data; visualizing the 3D image data on a display device; selecting a structure in the 3D image data by placing a seed in the structure; initializing a plurality of rays from the seed to form a surface; determining a speed function of each of the rays; evolving the surface by propagating the rays based on the speed function of each of the rays; converging the rays on a boundary of the structure; and segmenting the structure when all of the rays have converged on the structure's boundary.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2002Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research, Inc.Inventors: Huseyin Tek, Dorin Comaniciu, James P. Williams
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Patent number: 7009608Abstract: The present invention is related to rendering computer animated video and/or images generally, and to efficiently intersecting rays with an object scene while shading complex object representations. The present invention, generally, includes creating a plurality of representations for the object. After creating the plurality of representations, a plurality of primary positions are established on one of the representations. Shading positions on one or more other representations included in the plurality of representations are then established by reference to the primary positions. These shading positions correspond to the plurality of primary positions and each of these representations has a coarser resolution than the representation with the primary positions. Shading values for the shading positions are the computed and applied to the plurality of primary positions.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2002Date of Patent: March 7, 2006Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Matthew Milton Pharr, Eric Veach
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Patent number: 7002590Abstract: One or more information attributes about an object is received. A determination is performed to find out if the one or more information attributes is in contention with geometry attributes of the object. When the one or more information attributes is in contention with the geometry attributes, the geometry attributes are modified to avoid contention with the one or more information attributes.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2002Date of Patent: February 21, 2006Inventor: Yakov Kamen
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Patent number: 6995763Abstract: The present invention provides a system of extracting a visual feature from a dataset, comprising a storage means for storing said dataset; retrieval means for retrieving said dataset from said storage means; display means for displaying an image of said retrieval dataset; means for defining a block of voxels corresponding to a selected portion of said displayed dataset, said block containing said visual feature therein; means for removing from said block voxels not containing said visual feature, to generate a feature block; means for generating a mask from said feature block; and means for rendering said dataset using said mask. A method of extracting visual features is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2001Date of Patent: February 7, 2006Assignee: Cedara Software Corp.Inventors: Claudio Gatti, Vittorio Accomazzi, Robert Chann
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Patent number: 6982715Abstract: A process for encoding an update of a polygon mesh having at least one target vertex includes defining a local index of a vertex that neighbors the target vertex, storing a global index of the target vertex, storing a number of new faces resulting from the update, storing an identity of a face of the mesh using the local index, and storing a movement status of a corner of a polygon adjacent to the target vertex.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2002Date of Patent: January 3, 2006Assignee: Intel CorporationInventor: Martin Isenburg
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Patent number: 6977659Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing bit rates by replacing original texture in a video sequence with synthesized texture. Reducing the bit rate of the video sequence begins by identifying and removing selected texture from frames in a video sequence. The removed texture is analyzed to generate texture parameters. New texture is synthesized using the texture parameters in combination with a set of constraints. Then, the newly synthesized texture is mapped back into the frames of the video sequence from which the original texture was removed. The resulting frames are then encoded. The bit rate of the video sequence with the synthesized texture is less than the bit rate of the video sequence with the original texture. Also, the ability of a decoder to decode the new video sequence is not compromised because no assumptions are made about the texture synthesis capabilities of the decoder.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2002Date of Patent: December 20, 2005Assignee: AT & T Corp.Inventors: Adriana Dumitras, Barin Geoffry Haskell
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Patent number: 6975327Abstract: Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline that includes (N) physical texture units and one or more associated buffers emulates a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel. During each texture pass only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform look-ups on a given pass for the corresponding N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes are blended by texture blenders to provide composite texture values. In successive passes, the buffers are used for temporary data and the most current composite texture values. The process is repeated until all desired texture maps are applied.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2004Date of Patent: December 13, 2005Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Nicholas R. Baker, Jeffrey A. Andrews, Mei-Chi M. Liu
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Patent number: 6970174Abstract: A texture mapping apparatus for jointing a plurality of texture images where mapping positions are partially overlapped so as to map the texture images on a surface of a three-dimensional model. The texture mapping apparatus has a texture cutting out section which extracts a boundary between a texture portion and a background portion for each of the texture images, a texture evaluating section which weights segments obtained by segmentalizing the texture portion correlatively with a distance from the boundary using boundary information obtained by the extraction of the boundary, and a texturing blending section which calculates a mapping value by means of weighted average for overlapped portions of the plural texture images.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2002Date of Patent: November 29, 2005Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Fujiwara, Koji Fujiwara
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Patent number: 6954202Abstract: Provided are three-dimensional still and animated object representations obtained from photos of real-life objects and their geometrical representations, allowing compact storage, fast rendering with high output image quality, suitable for animation purposes. The method includes transforming original data of a three-dimensional object into an intermediate representation; transforming data of the intermediate representation into a rendering representation in the form of a circumscribing cube, where a layered depth image is attributed to each face of the circumscribing cube, and rendering the obtained representation by determining visible faces of the circumscribing cube with account of the viewer's position, transforming the layered depth image for each of the visible faces into a texture, and visualizing the visible faces with texture.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2002Date of Patent: October 11, 2005Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Mahn-jin Han, Alexey Ignatenko
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Patent number: 6947054Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an anisotropic filtering configuration where a ratio value is computed as the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of a pixel projection on a texture map. The number of subpixels generated and sampled is based upon the value of the ratio. For four-way anisotropic filtering, subpixels are generated that move as the computed ratio between the major and minor axis increases. Subpixels may be placed anywhere from 0.5 to 1.5 texel distance from the pixel center depending on the computed ratio. The contribution of the subpixels is equally weighted.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2002Date of Patent: September 20, 2005Assignee: Intel CorporationInventor: Steven J. Spangler
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Patent number: 6940508Abstract: A method comprising generating a surface detail model using a modeling technique, and rendering surface detail in accordance with the developed surface detail model over an object surface. The described method enables computer-generated images containing representations of hair to be rendered in real time.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2001Date of Patent: September 6, 2005Assignee: Microsoft Corp.Inventor: Jerome E. Lengyel
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Patent number: 6933946Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for interactive rendering of large polygonal environments on commodity PC hardware. The system allows a user to walk through a large model at interactive frame rates on machines with limited memory. It works by first creating a hierarchical spatial decomposition of the model on disk using a fast and incremental out-of-core preprocessing algorithm. At running time, the system and method uses an approximate from-point visibility algorithm to dynamically determine which parts of the model to retrieve from disk. Multiple threads and a speculative prefetching algorithm are used to improve frame rates.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2003Date of Patent: August 23, 2005Assignee: AT&T Corp.Inventors: Claudio T. Silva, Wagner T. Correa
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Patent number: 6906723Abstract: A method, program and apparatus for generating partial differential equations for perspective corrected texture coordinates in a computer graphics display are provided. The present invention comprises calculating texture coordinates for four adjacent pixels and then determining the differences between the coordinates. A perspective correction factor is then calculated, which is multiplied by each coordinate difference.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2001Date of Patent: June 14, 2005Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: David N. Ault, Jr.