Abstract: Systems and methods for generating high dynamic images from interleaved Bayer array data with high spatial resolution and reduced sampling artifacts. Bayer array data are demosaiced into components of the YUV color space before deinterleaving. The Y component and the UV components can be derived from the Bayer array data through demosiac convolution processes. A respective convolution is performed between a convolution kernel and a set of adjacent pixels of the Bayer array that are in the same color channel. A convolution kernel is selected based the mosaic pattern of the Bayer array and the color channels of the set of adjacent pixels. The Y data and UV data are deinterleaved and interpolated into frames of short exposure and long exposures in the second color space. The short exposure and long exposure frames are then blended and converted back to a RGB frame representing a high dynamic range image.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating high dynamic images from interleaved Bayer array data with high spatial resolution and reduced sampling artifacts. Bayer array data are demosaiced into components of the YUV color space before deinterleaving. The Y component and the UV components can be derived from the Bayer array data through demosiac convolution processes. A respective convolution is performed between a convolution kernel and a set of adjacent pixels of the Bayer array that are in the same color channel. A convolution kernel is selected based the mosaic pattern of the Bayer array and the color channels of the set of adjacent pixels. The Y data and UV data are deinterleaved and interpolated into frames of short exposure and long exposures in the second color space. The short exposure and long exposure frames are then blended and converted back to a RGB frame representing a high dynamic range image.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for a dynamic display refresh. In use, a state of a display device is identified in which an entirety of an image frame is currently displayed by the display device. In response to the identification of the state, it is determined whether an entirety of a next image frame to be displayed has been rendered to memory. The next image frame is transmitted to the display device for display thereof, when it is determined that the entirety of the next image frame to be displayed has been rendered to the memory. Further, a refresh of the display device is delayed, when it is determined that the entirety of the next image frame to be displayed has not been rendered to the memory.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for a dynamic display refresh. In use, a state of a display device is identified in which an entirety of an image frame is currently displayed by the display device. In response to the identification of the state, it is determined whether an entirety of a next image frame to be displayed has been rendered to memory. The next image frame is transmitted to the display device for display thereof, when it is determined that the entirety of the next image frame to be displayed has been rendered to the memory. Further, a refresh of the display device is delayed, when it is determined that the entirety of the next image frame to be displayed has not been rendered to the memory.

Abstract: A texture mapping system comprises memory and a texture map manager. The memory stores a parametric texture map, and the parametric texture map has a plurality of texels. Each of the texels defines a variable expression that defines a luminosity parameter as a function of light direction. The texture map manager is configured to perform a rotation of a texture defined by the parametric texture map, and the texture map manager is further configured to adjust the variable expression of at least one of the texels to compensate for the rotation.

Abstract: A texture mapping system comprises memory and a texture map manager. The memory stores a parametric texture map, and the parametric texture map has a plurality of texels. Each of the texels defines a variable expression that defines a luminosity parameter as a function of light direction. The texture map manager is configured to perform a rotation of a texture defined by the parametric texture map, and the texture map manager is further configured to adjust the variable expression of at least one of the texels to compensate for the rotation.

Abstract: A graphical display system of the present invention efficiently performs occlusion culling based on frame-to-frame temporal coherency. The graphical display system utilizes a frame buffer and rendering logic. The rendering logic is configured to receive graphical objects that define an image frame. In response to receiving one of the objects, the rendering logic is configured to make a determination as to whether the one object is visible in a previous image frame that was previously rendered to the frame buffer. The rendering logic is further configured to render the one object to the frame buffer based on the determination.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for performing H-space bump mapping. The apparatus of the present invention is a fragment processor of a computer graphics display system. The method of the present invention is performed by the fragment processor. In accordance with the method of the present invention, for each vertex of each polygon being processed, the fragment processor calculates both diffuse and specular lighting terms. Then, for each fragment within the polygon defined by the vertices, the fragment processor interpolates the specular and diffuse lighting terms to obtain diffuse and specular lighting terms for each fragment. If bump mapping has been enabled, the fragment processor adds perturbations to the diffuse and specular lighting terms to generate the bump mapping. Preferably, prior to performing the H-space bump mapping algorithm, texture coordinate gradient vectors are calculated for the image to be rendered.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for performing occlusion testing in a computer graphics display system. The apparatus comprises logic configured to determine whether or not an object of a current image frame was occluded in a previous image frame. If a determination is made that the object was not occluded in the previous image frame, then the logic causes the object of the current image frame to be rendered to a frame buffer of the computer graphics display system. The current and previous image frames are each comprised of a plurality of objects, and the logic determines whether or not each of the objects of the current image frame were occluded in the previous image frame. The logic causes any objects of the current image frame that were not occluded in the previous image frame to be rendered to the frame buffer.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a system and method for performing accumulation buffer operations using texture mapping hardware. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method is provided that operates by allocating a texture map of equal size as a display screen and copying contents of a frame buffer to the allocated texture map. The method then identifies an accumulation buffer operation and performs the accumulation buffer operation in a fragment unit. Preferably, the fragment unit includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) to perform high-speed mathematical operations. Finally, the method directs results of the accumulation buffer operation to the frame buffer, and copies contents of the frame buffer to the allocated texture map.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a system and method for performing accumulation buffer operations using texture mapping hardware. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method is provided that operates by allocating a texture map of equal size as a display screen and copying contents of a frame buffer to the allocated texture map. The method then identifies an accumulation buffer operation and performs the accumulation buffer operation in a fragment unit. Preferably, the fragment unit includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) to perform high-speed mathematical operations. Finally, the method directs results of the accumulation buffer operation to the frame buffer, and copies contents of the frame buffer to the allocated texture map.

Abstract: A graphical display system of the present invention efficiently performs occlusion culling based on frame-to-frame temporal coherency. The graphical display system utilizes a frame buffer and rendering logic. The rendering logic is configured to receive graphical objects that define an image frame. In response to receiving one of the objects, the rendering logic is configured to make a determination as to whether the one object is visible in a previous image frame that was previously rendered to the frame buffer. The rendering logic is further configured to render the one object to the frame buffer based on the determination.

Abstract: In a client-server system in which scenes of objects are displayed by a client which receives data from a server, the rendering of the scene is speeded up by eliminating large amounts of data associated with objects which will not be rendered. This is accomplished by storing the object data in a tree hierarchy, and then first pruning those objects which are outside of the view of the observer in several defined steps. After the objects which will not be rendered have been pruned by the server, the data associated with objects which could not be pruned is transferred to the client over a data path, and the client goes through a number of steps to cull objects which will not be viewed. By utilizing the present invention, the display of graphics objects is significantly enhanced without need to use the former brute force methodology.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for the fast downloading of textures to graphics hardware for use in computer graphics. By loading the textures directly into hardware, and by making that the only copy of the texture which is downloaded, it is possible to save the time and memory space which have heretofore been required to make at least two additional copies of the texture. Instead, bookkeeping entries are made which tell the graphics API and the applications software that the texture is already available in the graphics hardware.

Abstract: A hardware resource manager for real-time control of a hardware resource in a multiprocessing environment is disclosed. The hardware resource manager performs control and management functions for a limited hardware resource that can be accessed by multiple asynchronous application programs in order to achieve real-time response by the limited hardware resource. The hardware resource manager of the present invention comprises a shared memory buffer and a resource daemon. The shared memory buffer provides for semaphore locking capability so that only one application program may control the hardware resource manager at a time, and virtual memory capability for storing data and command information from the application programs. The resource daemon provides interpretation and processing capability for controlling the limited hardware resource via the data and command information received from the shared memory buffer.

Abstract: A method for decomposing a polygon into trapezoids and further decomposing the trapezoids. During the decomposition process, the method classifies vertices having a horizontal edge by traversing the active trapezoid list, and using the trapezoids found in the list to aid in classifying the vertex. When a polygon fully contains another polygon, the method slits a diagonal between the outside polygon and the inside polygon to create a single polygon. During the slitting produces, vertices are duplicated and diagonals connecting to the original vertex are left connected to the original vertex or are connected to the duplicated vertex. The method corrects improper ordering of the inside polygon, and the method provides consistency checks during the decomposition process to detect polygons with intersecting edges.