Abstract: This relates to a generation of digitally represented graphics. A first representation of a group of vertices is received. A second representation of said group of vertices is determined based on said first representation. A first set of instructions is executed on said second representation of said group of vertices for providing a third representation of said group of vertices, said first set of instructions being associated with vertex position determination. The third representation of said group of vertices is subjected to a culling process.

Abstract: A unified compression/decompression architecture is disclosed for reducing memory bandwidth requirements in 3D graphics processing applications. The techniques described erase several distinctions between a texture (compressed once, and decompressed many times), and buffers (compressed and decompressed repeatedly during rendering of an image). An exemplary method for processing graphics data according to one or more embodiments of the invention thus begins with the updating of one or more tiles of a first image array, which are then compressed, using a real-time buffer compression algorithm, to obtain compressed image array tiles. The compressed image array tiles are stored for subsequent use as a texture. During real-time rendering of a second image array, the compressed image array tiles are retrieved and decompressed using a decompression algorithm corresponding to the buffer compression algorithm.

Abstract: First and second codewords are determined, based on first feature vector components of the image elements in an image block, as representations of a first and second component value. Third and fourth codewords are determined, based on second vector components, as representations of a third and fourth component value. First N1 and second N2 resolution numbers are selected based on the relation of a distribution of the first vector components and a distribution of the second vector components. N1 additional component values are generated based on the first and second component values and N2 additional component values are generated based on the third and fourth component values. Component indices indicative of the generated component values are then provided for the different image elements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for the processing of frame buffer data, such as color buffer data, in graphics processing applications. Although more generally applicable, these methods and apparatus are particularly useful in real-time, polygon-based, 3D rendering applications. An exemplary method for processing graphics data according to one or more embodiments of the invention begins with the retrieval, from a buffer, of pixel values corresponding to a tile of two or more pixels, and with the updating of one or more of those updated pixel values. The updated pixel values are selectively compressed using a lossy compression operation or a lossless compression operation, based on an accumulated error metric value for the tile. If lossy compression is used, then the accumulated error metric value for the tile is updated; in either event, the compressed pixel values are stored in the frame buffer for further processing.

Abstract: A compressor for compressing a block of feature vectors representing a feature associated with image elements, includes means (20, 22) for determining the distribution of the feature vectors, means (20, 24, 26, 28) for transforming each point pattern in a predetermined set of point patterns to fit the determined distribution and a selector (30) for selecting a transformed point pattern that best fits the determined distribution. Furthermore, an encoder (32) represents the block of feature vectors by an identifier identifying the selected point pattern in the set of point patterns, parameters representing the transformation associated with the selected point pattern, and an index for each feature vector representing the nearest point in the transformed selected point pattern.