Patent number: 7808503
Abstract: A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple?stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 19, 2006
Date of Patent:
October 5, 2010
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Richard E. Hessel, Vaughn T. Arnold, Jack Benkual, Joseph P. Bratt, George Cuan, Stephen L. Dodgen, Emerson S. Fang, Zhaoyu Gong, Thomas Y. Yo, Hengwei Hsu, Sidong Li, Sam Ng, Matthew N. Papakipos, Jason R. Redgrave, Sushma S. Trivedi, Nathan D. Tuck, Shun Wai Go, Lindy Fung, Tuan D. Nguyen, Joseph P. Grass, Bo Hong, Abraham Mammen, Abbas Rashid, Albert Suan-Wei Tsay