Multi-mode parallel graphics rendering system supporting dynamic profiling of graphics-based applications and automatic control of parallel modes of operation
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-mode parallel 3-D graphics system having multiple graphics processing pipelines with multiple GPUs supporting a parallel graphics rendering process having time, frame and object division modes of operation, wherein each GPU comprises video memory, a geometry processing subsystem and a pixel processing subsystem, and wherein 3D scene profiling is performed in real-time, and the parallelization state/modes of the system are dynamically controlled to meet graphics application requirements. The multiple modes of parallel graphics rendering use real-time graphics application profiling, and dynamic control over time-division, frame-division, and object-division modes of parallel operation, within the same parallel graphics platform, which can be realized on PC-based computing system architectures.
117 Citations
84 Claims
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1-63. -63. (canceled)
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64. A method of parallel graphics rendering practiced on a multiple GPU-based PC-level graphics system capable of running a graphics-based application and supporting time, image or object division modes of parallel graphics rendering at any instant in time, said method comprising the steps:
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(a) automatically profiling said graphics-based application during run-time and producing performance data; and
(b) using said performance data to dynamically select among said time, image and object division modes of parallel graphics rendering, in real-time, during the course of said graphics-based application, so as to adapt the optimal mode of parallel graphics rendering to the computational needs of said graphics-based application. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66)
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67. A multi-mode parallel graphics rendering system (MMPGRS) embodied within a host computing system having a CPU for executing graphics-based applications, host memory space (HMS) for storing one or more graphics-based applications and a graphics library for generating graphics commands and data during the execution of the graphics-based application, and a display device for displaying images containing graphics during the execution of said graphics-based application, said MMPGRS comprising:
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(1) a multi-mode parallel graphics rendering subsystem supporting multiple modes of parallel operation selected from the group consisting of object division, image division, and time division, and wherein each mode of parallel operation includes at least three stages, namely, decomposition, distribution and recomposition, and said multi-mode parallel graphics rendering subsystem including (i) a decomposition module for supporting the decomposition stage of parallel operation, (ii) a distribution module for supporting the distribution stage of parallel operation, (iii) a recomposition module for supporting the recomposition stage of parallel operation;
(iv) a plurality of graphic processing pipelines (GPPLs) supporting a graphics rendering process that employs said object division, image division and/or time division modes of parallel operation during a single session of said graphics-based application in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data; and
wherein said decomposition, distribution and recomposition modules cooperate to carry out the decomposition, distribution and recomposition stages, respectively, of the different modes of parallel operation supported on said MMPGRS; and
(2) a profiling and control mechanism (PCM) for automatically profiling said graphics-based application by analyzing streams of graphics commands and data from said graphics-based application and generating performance data from said graphics-based application and said host computing system, and controlling the various modes of parallel operation of said MMPGRS using said performance data. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69)
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70. A multi-mode parallel graphics rendering system (MMPGRS) embodied within a host computing system, said MMPGRS comprising:
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a plurality of GPUs for supporting a parallel graphics rendering process having time, image and object division modes of operation;
an application profiling and analysis module; and
wherein all state transitions in said MMPGRS are controlled by a profiling and control mechanism (PCM) which automatically profiles a graphics application executing on said host computing system and collects performance data from the MMPGRS and host computing system during the execution of said graphics application, and controls the mode of parallel operation of said MMPGRS at any instant in time based on said profiling and collected performance data. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A multi-mode parallel graphics rendering system (MMPGRS) embodied within a host computing system having a CPU for executing graphics-based applications, host memory space (HMS) for storing one or more graphics-based applications and a graphics library for generating graphics commands and data during the execution of the graphics-based application, and a display device for displaying images containing graphics during the execution of said graphics-based application, said MMPGRS comprising:
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(1) a multi-mode parallel graphics rendering subsystem supporting multiple modes of parallel operation selected from the group consisting of object division, image division, and time division, and wherein each mode of parallel operation includes at least three stages, namely, decomposition, distribution and recomposition, and said multi-mode parallel graphics rendering subsystem including (i) a decomposition module for supporting the decomposition stage of parallel operation, (ii) a distribution module for supporting the distribution stage of parallel operation, (iii) a recomposition module for supporting the recomposition stage of parallel operation; and
(iv) a plurality of graphic processing pipelines (GPPLs) supporting a graphics rendering process that employs said object division, image division and/or time division modes of parallel operation during a single session of said graphics-based application in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data; and
(2) a profiling and control mechanism (PCM) for automatically and dynamically profiling said graphics-based application executing on said host computing system, and controlling the various modes of parallel operation of said MMPGRS;
wherein said decomposition module, said distribution module and said recomposition module cooperate to carry out the decomposition, distribution and recomposition stages, respectively, of the different modes of parallel operation supported on said MMPGRS;
wherein said PCM enables real-time graphics application profiling and automatic configuration of said multiple GPPLs; and
wherein said PCM includes a user interaction detection (UID) subsystem that enables automatic and dynamic detection of the user'"'"'s interaction with said host computing system, so that absent preventive conditions, said UID subsystem enables timely implementation of the time division mode only when no user-system interactivity is detected. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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Specification