Abstract: Methods, apparatus and program products provide load balancing in a paralell processing image generation system. In an image generation system for generating pixel values of a pixel array which corresponds to a group of geometric primitives which define a computer generated image where the image generation system includes a plurality of processing elements which are assigned to a specified pixel of the pixel array. The specification of pixels to processing elements is carried out to balance the processing load of the plurality of processing elements. Regions of the pixel array may be associated with subsets of the plurality of processing elements. A linear expression evaluator then provides region specific coefficients to the subsets of the plurality of processing elements. The plurality of processing elements may also be divided into a plurality of panels.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and computer program products for transforming from model to screen coordinates by assigning specified subsets of the plurality of parallel processing elements respective model space geometric primitives. The respective specified subsets of the plurality of parallel processing elements are then provided a plurality of transformation matrices associated with respective model space geometric primitives. A unified transformation matrix for each primitive is then produced from the plurality of transformation matrices associated with each particular model space geometric primitive. The resulting unified transformation matrices are then applied to said geometric primitives by the processing elements to translate the geometric primitive from model coordinates to screen coordinates.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for texturing a picture element of an image. These methods, systems and computer program products include blending texture values from a first texture map corresponding to a first level of detail with texture values from a second texture map corresponding to a second level of detail to create a textured value for the picture element. The blending of the two texture maps, however, only occurs if the magnitude of deviation of the level of detail corresponding to the picture element from a level of detail of the first texture map is greater than a threshold value. The threshold value may be selected based upon the perceptibility of differences between the level of detail of the picture element and the level of detail of the first texture map.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided which utilize luminance in the reduction in resolution of high-resolution values of the color components to provide reduced-resolution values of the color components. These methods, systems and computer program products preferably reduce the resolution of the high-resolution-value of the color components for a picture element to provide reduced-resolution values based upon the difference in luminance between the high-resolution values of the color components and the reduced-resolution values of the color components. Preferably, the difference between the luminance of the high-resolution values of the color components and the reduced-resolution values of the color components is minimized.

Abstract: An image generation system is provided which includes a processing element array comprised of a plurality of processing elements, wherein the processing elements are interconnected such that processing elements in said processing element array communicate directly with each other. The processing elements are divided into a plurality of panels. Global bus interconnection means allow for communicating information on one panel communications bus to the other panel communication buses. Validity flags of the global bus interconnection indicate which bytes are valid on the bus. A microcode cache may also be included.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products for applying texture to the surfaces of objects in graphics images utilizing texture patterns organized into blocks of texels. Each block of texels is preferably compressed using a block-oriented compression technique and then compressed further using entropy coding. Multiple processing elements rendering an image make requests for texels by address. The texel addresses are converted to block addresses, and the block addresses are consolidated and redundant requests are eliminated. The blocks are retrieved from texture pattern memory, performs entropy decoding, and transfers the data to the processor array such that the likelihood of redundant retrieval of texture data is reduced. The processing elements utilize the retrieved texture data for calculation of pixel values utilizing the texture information.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products for utilizing a plurality of processing elements to evaluate a linear expression of the form Ax+By+C wherein x and y are coordinates of pixels in a screen. X and y values are assigned to each of the plurality of processing elements and the plurality of processing elements are provided a plurality of multiples of at least one coefficients of the linear expression. The processing elements select from the plurality of multiples of at least one of the coefficients provided at least one multiple of a coefficient associated with the x and y values assigned to the processing element. The processing elements then evaluate the expression Ax+By+C based on the assigned x and y values and the selected multiple.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for generating a texture map having a plurality of levels of detail for use in rendering an image which is displayed on a graphical display. A specified level of detail of the texture map is encoded as a sum of a plurality of scaled wavelet basis functions. A texture map corresponding to a more coarse level of detail of the texture map is generated from the wavelets comprising the lower frequency wavelets of the wavelet basis functions of the texture map corresponding to a finer level of detail. Preferably, the wavelet basis functions comprise Haar wavelet basis functions. Lower frequency wavelets from which the coarser level of detail texture map is reconstructed may comprise the lower half of the frequencies of the wavelet basis functions of the texture map corresponding to the immediately finer level of detail.

Abstract: An image generation system having a processing element array comprised of a plurality of processing elements interconnected so that processing elements may communicate with other processing elements in the processing element array. A linear expression evaluator provides coefficients of linear expressions which define object primitives to the processing element array and a processing element array controller provides instruction and control data. A central control unit controls the flow of data to and from the processing element array and controls the presentation of linear expression coefficients to the linear expression evaluator. Methods, apparatus and program products include assigning home pixel addresses corresponding to pixels of the screen regions to the plurality of processing elements. A database of geometric primitives is traversed and each primitive is assigned processing elements.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided which utilize luminance in the reduction in resolution of high-resolution values of the color components to provide reduced-resolution values of the color components. These methods, systems and computer program products preferably reduce the resolution of the high-resolution-value of the color components for a picture element to provide reduced-resolution values based upon the difference in luminance between the high-resolution values of the color components and the reduced-resolution values of the color components. Preferably, the difference between the luminance of the high-resolution values of the color components and the reduced-resolution values of the color components is minimized.

Abstract: An image generator with a system to affix a flag for identifying high resolution pixel data in a signal of both high and low resolution pixel data, so that high resolution pixel data is divided readily for separate treatment in a high resolution frame buffer. The low resolution pixel data is connected to a low resolution frame buffer where it is treated with an occlusion mask in accordance with occlusion fractional coverage computed separately. The pixel data is combined again in a mixer before it is converted for visual display.

Abstract: The disclosure describes the use of an image generator connected to receive at least two, and preferably three, base colors that have been previously compressed using two blend factors to interpolate degrees of color intensity in a texture image. A decoder circuit to restore the compressed image color data for each data path from memory uses a color blender circuit to restore the color components from data from each path to produce that color at an output terminal. A provision is described for including translucency also.