Abstract: A system is described that is broadly directed to a system of integrated circuit components. The system comprises a plurality of nodes that are interconnected by communication links. A random access memory (RAM) is connected to each node. At least one functional unit is integrated into each node, and each functional unit is configured to carry out a predetermined processing function. Finally, each RAM includes a coherency mechanism configured to permit only read access to the RAM by other nodes, the coherency mechanism further configured to permit write access to the RAM only by functional units that are local to the node.

Abstract: A game device models images of moving images such as motor-bikes or cars moving through a virtual space. The track along which a first such moving object moving through the virtual space is sampled at a prescribed interval in time in order to generate track data P1–P6, while transit points P1?–P6? are set at prescribed intervals of distance along the track indicated by the track data. A second moving object is moved in such a manner as to pass through these transit points. Accordingly, a course is set that is commensurate with the player's skill level so that the degree of difficulty of the game is not diminished by the degree of experience of the player.

Abstract: The present invention is in the field of digital imaging. It relates to a method and a system for selecting a subject of interest in a digital image, so as to be able to then display this subject of interest on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity. The present invention enables the display directly and automatically on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity, of subjects of interest, previously selected in an original image. This is done based on a simple operation or request executed from the terminal with low display capacity. This enables the image to be exploited correctly, by viewing the subjects of interest of the original image, in the best possible conditions of image rendering, given the display capacity of said terminal. The application of the present invention is in the area of the users of terminals with low display capacity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method to and a computer program product for lighting a computer graphics image to be rendered. It is assumed that a plurality of light sources illuminate one or more objects of the scene to be rendered thus causing a complex lighting situation. For reducing the complexity of the lighting situation and saving computing time the lighting condition is pre-calculated by approximating at least two and preferably all light sources by a single fictitious light source in a pre-calculating step. In the step of pre-calculating, there is computed an approximated light direction for at least two selected ones of the light sources and an approximated light color for the selected light sources by weighting color contributions thereof. The step of pre-calculating is performed for selected areas of a surface of objects present in the scene and results in coefficients that are stored, for these selected areas, in a lightmap or in vertices representing the object surface.

Abstract: A technique for spatial partitioning and a data structure for storing references to objects in a scene. A grid-based loose octree (GLOtree) is a data structure that combines advantages of a uniform grid-based subdivision method and an octree-based subdivision method to provide a general purpose spatial partitioning method that works well with both static and dynamic scenes. In a GLOtree, objects are located at lower levels of the tree than in the prior art octree. This allows traversals to search for specific objects to be accomplished more quickly when a starting search level of the GLOtree is predicted. The GLOtree uses loose octree nodes that adapt the sizes of octants to the scene.

Abstract: An animation control unit specifies shape data, hierarchical structure data, a group table, and state information. A character state calculating unit obtains the specified shape data from a shape data storing unit, the hierarchical structure data from a hierarchical structure storing unit, and the group table from a table storing unit. The character state calculating unit also obtains motion data shown in the specified state information from a motion data storing unit and specifies, from the obtained motion data, motion data identified by each group number. In accordance with the obtained hierarchical structure data, the character state calculating unit corrects the shape data by using the specified motion data. A three-dimensional rendering unit renders the corrected shape data to generate an image, and a display unit displays the generated image.

Abstract: A three-dimensional information display apparatus which has three-dimensional map information processing section adapted to process three-dimensional map information, three-dimensional route information processing section adapted to process three-dimensional route information, and three-dimensional information display section adapted to display the three-dimensional map information processed by the three-dimensional map information processing section and the three-dimensional route information processed by the three-dimensional route information processing section. If a road to the destination included in the three-dimensional map information contains a downward branch part, the three-dimensional route information processing section processes the three-dimensional route information so as to extend a part of a route to the road to be branched for display while maintaining the same height as the height on drawing of the route to the destination at the downward branch part.

Abstract: A graphics memory includes a plurality of memory partitions. A memory controller organizes tile data into subpackets that are assigned to subpartitions to improve memory transfer efficiency. Subpackets of different tiles may be further assigned to subpartitions in an interleaved fashion to improve memory operations such as fast clear and compression.

Abstract: A reflection image and an environment map are loaded into memory. During rendering of an object, an environment texture sample is retrieved from the environment map based on a reflection vector stored in a pixel of the reflection image. The retrieved environment texture sample is then applied to the object. The object thus rendered is stored in a frame buffer.

Abstract: A graphics system may include a frame buffer and a hardware accelerator. The frame buffer may include a sample buffer and a double-buffered display area. The hardware accelerator may be coupled to the frame buffer, and configured (a) to receive primitives, (b) to generate samples for the primitives based on a dynamically adjustable sample density value, (c) to write the samples into the sample buffer, (d) to read the samples from the sample buffer, (e) to filter the samples to generate pixels, (f) to store the pixels in a back buffer of the double-buffered display area. A host computer may be configured (e.g., by means of stored program instructions) to dynamically update programmable registers of the graphics system to reallocate the sample buffer in the frame buffer in response to user input specifying a change in one or more window size parameters.

Abstract: Hierarchical lattice generating method, apparatus, and program are capable of representing figures of areas in the neighborhood of boundary surfaces on a hierarchical lattice at reduced computation costs and with desired resolutions, using form data for computer simulation. A hierarchical lattice is generated by dividing a group of cells that are composed of vertices and line segments present in a predetermined area, in accordance with a resolution. A boundary surface provided in the area, is represented in the hierarchical lattice by hierarchically dividing cells in a vicinity of a boundary surface. A first value is assigned as an initial value to all of the vertices in the area in an initial state. A second value is assigned to each of vertices in focus, out of the vertices, that has the first value or the second value if any cell to which each of the vertices in focus belongs includes the boundary surface, and otherwise assigning a third value to each of the vertices in focus.

Abstract: The invention described herein is a system, method, and computer program product for optimization of a scene graph. The system includes an optimization base that contains a set of specific atomic optimizations. The system also includes an optimization registry that lists each atomic optimization, parameters associated with each optimization, and priority information relating to the necessary order in which optimizations must be performed. The system also includes an optimization manager which creates, configures, and applies an optimization process to an input scene graph. The system further includes an optimization configuration module for accepting user input to the optimization process. The method includes the steps of receiving an input scene graph, creating the optimization process, applying the optimization process to the input scene graph, and post-optimization processing.

Abstract: A new progressive compression scheme for arbitrary topology, highly detailed and densely sampled meshes arising from geometry scanning. Meshes may have three distinct components: geometry, parameter, and connectivity information. The latter two do not contribute to the reduction of error in a compression setting. Using semi-regular meshes, parameter and connectivity information can be virtually eliminated. The semiregular meshes may be used with semi-regular wavelet transforms, zerotree coding, and subdivision based reconstruction.

Abstract: A control device, which is capable of suppressing an increase in a load of a data transfer for an increase of an amount of data is provided. The control device includes a compressed data generation unit for generating a compressed data based on a set-up value inputted, and a controller for outputting a frame rate information to the compressed data generation unit, and for making compressed data to be outputted from a memory for use in storing a compressed data to an image display device in accordance with the frame rate.

Abstract: A system and method for processing YCbCr video data stored in a paged memory with reduced page breaks. A method is disclosed for retrieving YCbCr planar video data in 4:2:0 format from paged memory. A page of the paged memory containing Y data is accessed; Y data corresponding to M pixels of video data is then retrieved, where M is a value greater than or equal to two. The retrieved Y data is then stored in a shift register. Similar steps are taken to access, retrieve and store Cb and Cr data. Within the shift register, the Y, Cb, and Cr data is stored as sets of planar video data. The Y, Cb, and Cr data is retrieved from the shift register as a series of pixel data for generating pixels on a video display unit.

Abstract: A three-dimensional model generating system obtains altitude information corresponding to a specified building region on a building/road map. On the basis of the altitude distribution in the building region, a plane corresponding to a connected subset of observation data is obtained. After all pieces of observation data are allocated to planes, the planes are interconnected to form a simply-connected polyhedron serving as a building model. Accordingly, individual pieces of building information, which are free from the effects of a building-located region, are generated on the basis of three-dimensional terrain information and a set of planes.

Abstract: A scalable pipelined pixel shader that processes packets of data and preserves the format of each packet at each processing stage. Each packet is an ordered array of data values, at least one of which is an instruction pointer. Each member of the ordered array can be indicative of any type of data. As a packet progresses through the pixel shader during processing, each member of the ordered array can be replaced by a sequence of data values indicative of different types of data (e.g., an address of a texel, a texel, or a partially or fully processed color value). Information required for the pixel shader to process each packet is contained in the packet, and thus the pixel shader is scalable in the sense that it can be implemented in modular fashion to include any number of identical pipelined processing stages and can execute the same program regardless of the number of stages.

Abstract: A dummy object is generated by copying an object. A color of the dummy object is set to be brighter than the object and the position of the dummy object is finely adjusted. After that, the object and the dummy object are drawn using the Z sort method. Polygons of the object are added to a sort table as usual, whereas polygons of the dummy object are added to the sort table after such a shift of the first address of the sort table as to locate them behind their actual depth value with respect to the view point. Since the polygons are drawn from the farthest polygon from the view point in the sort table, the object is drawn over the dummy object. In the last stage the dummy object remains only in the part projecting outside the object and the part is drawn in a brighter color than the object.

Abstract: A process for the generation of a computer image of a coated, three-dimensional object involves applying at least a relevant coating layer on at least two test panels under the influence of a set of coating parameters which differs with respect to each panel; taking a plurality of measurements of at least one optical surface property as a function of the set of coating parameters selected on application of the relevant coating layer on each panel; storing the optical data in a datafile with assignment of the relevant set of coating parameters; facetting the visible surface(s) of a three-dimensional object by computer into a sufficient number of flat polygonal areas each being sufficiently small for the sufficiently accurate description of the surface topography; assigning the relevant set of coating parameters and associated optical data in each case to each individual polygonal area by computer; and assembling the polygonal areas into a computer image of the three-dimensional object.

Abstract: In order to express undulation of a surface of an object realistically, a dynamic picture image generation device comprises a movement amount computation unit 310, which computes the movement amount for a vertex based on the connectedness, which is the degree of connection of a vertex to each skeleton, and on the reference movement amount, set for each skeleton of a model, which is the maximum value of the movement amount of a vertex connected only to the skeleton; a direction computation unit 311, which computes the movement direction of vertices comprised by each polygon; and a coordinate computation unit 312, which computes the coordinates of a vertex after a prescribed time, using the movement amount computed by the movement amount computation unit 310 and the movement direction computed by the direction computation unit 311.