Abstract: Generation and storage of compressed z-planes in graphics processing is described. An example of a processor includes a rasterizer to generate a fragment of pixel data including blocks of pixel data; a depth pipeline to receive the fragment, the pipeline including a first and second depth test hardware, the first depth test hardware to perform a coarse depth test including determining minimum and maximum depths for each block; and a depth buffer, wherein the processor is to determine whether the fragment meets requirements that the fragment fully covers a tile of pixel data and passes a first depth test, and that each of the minimum and maximum depths of the fragment has a same sign and exponent, and, upon determining that the fragment meets the requirements, to generate a compressed depth plane utilizing the first depth test and update the depth buffer with the compressed depth plane.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for grouping rays based on quantized ray directions. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: An apparatus comprising: a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays; ray direction evaluation circuitry/logic to generate approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays; ray sorting circuitry/logic to sort the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.

Abstract: An apparatus to facilitate compression of memory data is disclosed. The apparatus comprises one or more processors to receive uncompressed data, adapt a format of the uncompressed data to a compression format, perform a color transformation from a first color space to a second color space, perform a residual computation to generate residual data, compress the residual data via entropy encoding to generate compressed data and packing the compressed data.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for grouping rays based on quantized ray directions. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: An apparatus comprising: a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays; ray direction evaluation circuitry/logic to generate approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays; ray sorting circuitry/logic to sort the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to a decompression engine that can request compressed data to be transferred over a memory bus. In some cases, the memory bus is a width that requires multiple data transfers to transfer the requested data. In a case that requested data is to be presented in-order to the decompression engine, a re-order buffer can be used to store entries of data. When a head-of-line entry is received, the entry can be provided to the decompression engine. When a last entry in a group of one or more entries is received, all entries in the group are presented in-order to the decompression engine. In some examples, a decompression engine can borrow memory resources allocated for use by another memory client to expand a size of re-order buffer available for use. For example, a memory client with excess capacity and a slowest growth rate can be chosen to borrow memory resources from.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a processor performs a coarse depth test on pixel data, and performs a final depth test on the pixel data. Coarse depth data is stored in a coarse depth cache, and per pixel depth data is stored in a per pixel depth cache. If a result of the coarse depth test is ambiguous, the processor is to read the per pixel depth data from the per pixel depth cache, and to update the coarse depth data with the per pixel depth data if the per pixel depth data has a smaller depth range than the coarse depth data.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus comprises a processor to compute depth values for one or more 4×4 blocks of pixels using 16 source interpolators and 8 destination interpolators on an incoming fragment of pixel data if the destination is in min/max format, and a memory to store a depth test result performed on the one or more 4×4 blocks of pixels. Otherwise the processor is to compute depth values for one or more 8×4 blocks of pixels using 16 source interpolators and 16 destination interpolators if the destination is in plane format.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to a decompression engine that can request compressed data to be transferred over a memory bus. In some cases, the memory bus is a width that requires multiple data transfers to transfer the requested data. In a case that requested data is to be presented in-order to the decompression engine, a re-order buffer can be used to store entries of data. When a head-of-line entry is received, the entry can be provided to the decompression engine. When a last entry in a group of one or more entries is received, all entries in the group are presented in-order to the decompression engine. In some examples, a decompression engine can borrow memory resources allocated for use by another memory client to expand a size of re-order buffer available for use. For example, a memory client with excess capacity and a slowest growth rate can be chosen to borrow memory resources from.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a processor performs a coarse depth test on pixel data, and performs a final depth test on the pixel data. Coarse depth data is stored in a coarse depth cache, and per pixel depth data is stored in a per pixel depth cache. If a result of the coarse depth test is ambiguous, the processor is to read the per pixel depth data from the per pixel depth cache, and to update the coarse depth data with the per pixel depth data if the per pixel depth data has a smaller depth range than the coarse depth data.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for grouping rays based on quantized ray directions. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: An apparatus comprising: a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays; ray direction evaluation circuitry/logic to generate approximate ray direction data for each of the plurality of rays; ray sorting circuitry/logic to sort the rays into a plurality of ray queues based, at least in part, on the approximate ray direction data.

Abstract: An apparatus to facilitate packing compressed data is disclosed. The apparatus includes compression hardware to compress memory data into a plurality of compressed data components and packing hardware to receive the plurality of compressed data components and pack a first of the plurality of compressed data components beginning at a least significant bit (LSB) location of a compressed bit stream and pack a second of the plurality of compressed data components beginning at a most significant bit (MSB) of the compressed bit stream.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to a decompression engine that can request compressed data to be transferred over a memory bus. In some cases, the memory bus is a width that requires multiple data transfers to transfer the requested data. In a case that requested data is to be presented in-order to the decompression engine, a re-order buffer can be used to store entries of data. When a head-of-line entry is received, the entry can be provided to the decompression engine. When a last entry in a group of one or more entries is received, all entries in the group are presented in-order to the decompression engine. In some examples, a decompression engine can borrow memory resources allocated for use by another memory client to expand a size of re-order buffer available for use. For example, a memory client with excess capacity and a slowest growth rate can be chosen to borrow memory resources from.

Abstract: Apparatus and method including cell primitive for unstructured volume rendering. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays in a first graphics scene; a hierarchical acceleration data structure generator to construct a hierarchical acceleration data structure comprising a plurality of hierarchically arranged nodes including leaf nodes and inner nodes; traversal circuitry to traverse one or more of the rays through the hierarchical acceleration data structure; unstructured volume intersection circuitry to intersect a ray with an unstructured volume primitive within a leaf node of the hierarchical acceleration data structure, the unstructured volume intersection circuitry to determine multiple intersection hits between a ray and an unstructured volume primitive.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus comprises a processor to compute depth values for one or more 4×4 blocks of pixels using 16 source interpolators and 8 destination interpolators on an incoming fragment of pixel data if the destination is in min/max format, and a memory to store a depth test result performed on the one or more 4×4 blocks of pixels. Otherwise the processor is to compute depth values for one or more 8×4 blocks of pixels using 16 source interpolators and 16 destination interpolators if the destination is in plane format.

Abstract: Embodiments are generally directed to compression for compression for sparse data structures utilizing mode search approximation. An embodiment of an apparatus includes one or more processors including a graphics processor to process data; and a memory for storage of data, including compressed data. The one or more processors are to provide for compression of a data structure, including identification of a mode in the data structure, the data structure including a plurality of values and the mode being a most repeated value in a data structure, wherein identification of the mode includes application of a mode approximation operation, and encoding of an output vector to include the identified mode, a significance map to indicate locations at which the mode is present in the data structure, and remaining uncompressed data from the data structure.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus comprises a processor to compute depth values for one or more 4×4 blocks of pixels using 16 source interpolators and 8 destination interpolators on an incoming fragment of pixel data if the destination is in min/max format, and a memory to store a depth test result performed on the one or more 4×4 blocks of pixels. Otherwise the processor is to compute depth values for one or more 8×4 blocks of pixels using 16 source interpolators and 16 destination interpolators if the destination is in plane format.

Abstract: Apparatus and method including cell primitive for unstructured volume rendering. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a ray generator to generate a plurality of rays in a first graphics scene; a hierarchical acceleration data structure generator to construct a hierarchical acceleration data structure comprising a plurality of hierarchically arranged nodes including leaf nodes and inner nodes; traversal circuitry to traverse one or more of the rays through the hierarchical acceleration data structure; unstructured volume intersection circuitry to intersect a ray with an unstructured volume primitive within a leaf node of the hierarchical acceleration data structure, the unstructured volume intersection circuitry to determine multiple intersection hits between a ray and an unstructured volume primitive.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a processor performs a coarse depth test on pixel data, and performs a final depth test on the pixel data. Coarse depth data is stored in a coarse depth cache, and per pixel depth data is stored in a per pixel depth cache. If a result of the coarse depth test is ambiguous, the processor is to read the per pixel depth data from the per pixel depth cache, and to update the coarse depth data with the per pixel depth data if the per pixel depth data has a smaller depth range than the coarse depth data.

Abstract: An apparatus to facilitate pixel compression is disclosed. The apparatus includes a rasterizer module to convert an image to a plurality of pixels, an interface coupled to the rasterizer module, a depth check module coupled to the interface and compression logic to perform a compression encoding on the plurality of pixels, including dividing the plurality of pixels into a mega pixel block having a plurality of pixel blocks, determining coverage information for pixels in each of the plurality of pixel blocks, encoding each of the plurality of pixel blocks based on the coverage information to generate a mega encoded block.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a processor performs a coarse depth test on pixel data, and performs a final depth test on the pixel data. Coarse depth data is stored in a coarse depth cache, and per pixel depth data is stored in a per pixel depth cache. If a result of the coarse depth test is ambiguous, the processor is to read the per pixel depth data from the per pixel depth cache, and to update the coarse depth data with the per pixel depth data if the per pixel depth data has a smaller depth range than the coarse depth data.