Abstract: A full color real time cell texture generator uses a tapered quantization scheme for establishing a small set of colors representative of all colors of a source image. A source image to be displayed is quantitized by selecting the color of the small set nearest the color of the source image for each cell of the source image. Nearness is measured as Euclidian distance in a three-space coordinate system of the primary colors: red, green and blue. In a specific embodiment, an 8-bit modulation code is used to control each of the red, green, blue and translucency content of each display pixel, thereby permitting independent modulation for each of the colors forming the display image.

Abstract: A computer video image generating system including a computer memory having three dimensional object data stored therein employs an advanced object generator for retrieving and processing the object data for output to a span processor for controlling the pixel-by-pixel video output signal for a video display. The advanced object generator includes a translucency processor, an edge-on fading processor, a level of detail blending processor and a bilinear interpolator for texture smoothing.

Abstract: An improved advanced video object generator with a more efficient cell texturing memory is disclosed. The advanced video object generator includes a data memory for storing cell-by-cell object data for a plurality of objects for retrieval and processing for video display. A vector processor calculates object transformations for translating operator inputs into image orientation control signals for calculating pixel-by-pixel image data. Cell texture address logic determines the memory location to be accessed for retrieval of cell texture data for display. Output logic provides the cell texture data to a span processor which translates the cell texture data into pixel-by-pixel display data for display on a video display device. The disclosed improvement includes at least one data memory hardware map having a plurality of nxn memory locations for storing n.sup.2 cell sets of cell texture data. The cell texture output logic reads out two independent n.sup.2 cell sets simultaneously which are blended.

Abstract: A low cost, true-perspective texture/shading processor (16) for a raster graphics display is based on a mathematical model which defines modulations globally over the entire simulated, visual environment. The model uses planes defined in three-dimensional space to define the modulation. These texture planes are all orthogonal to a single gradient in a flat reference plane and cut across any number of faces. The texture/shading processor is used in a computer image generator of the type wherein a first group (11) manages a visual data base (10) and transfers data to the active environment storage of a second group (12). The second group reduces the three-dimensional description of the environment supplied by the first group to a two-dimensional description, makes perspective transformation of data into coordinates of a view window and assigns a priority to each surface of the computed scene.