Fixed Function Pipeline Application Remoting Through A Shader Pipeline Conversion Layer

• US 20100302261A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abdo, Nadim Y., McMullen, Max Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,203,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/506
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer readable media are disclosed for sending a client graphics data across a remote session for an application, where the application makes fixed function pipeline API calls and the client and server support shader pipeline API calls for the remote session. fixed function pipeline graphics calls from sent from the application are intercepted, wrapped, converted into their fixed function pipeline equivalent graphics call or calls and then sent across the communications network to the client according to a protocol of the remote session.

Claims

1. A method for sending graphics calls for an application that uses a fixed function pipeline application programming interface (API) to a client via a remote session that supports sending shader pipeline API calls, comprising:

intercepting a fixed function pipeline API call of the application;

wrapping the fixed function pipeline call;

mapping the wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call; and

sending the shared pipeline API call to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the wrapped call to the shader pipeline API call comprises:

determining that the fixed function pipeline call has a name, at least one argument and a return value that equals a name, at least one argument and a return value of a shader pipeline call; and

sending the shader pipeline API call to the client comprises;

sending the wrapped call to the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call comprises:

determining that the wrapped call has an equivalent shader pipeline call.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a wrapped call has an equivalent shader pipeline call when the two calls have the same return value and arguments, or the same return value and the wrapped call'"'"'s arguments comprise a subset of equivalent shader pipeline call'"'"'s arguments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the wrapped call to the shader pipeline API call comprises:

determining a shader pipeline API call that is influenced by the wrapped call.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a SPI call is influenced by a wrapped call when the shader pipeline call corresponds to a shader program that produces the same graphical output as the wrapped call.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting a plurality of fixed function pipeline API calls;

wrapping each of the plurality of fixed function pipeline API calls;

mapping each wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call;

optimizing the shader pipeline API calls; and

sending the optimized shader pipeline API calls to the client.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein optimizing the shader pipeline calls comprises performing at least one from a set, the set comprising:

batching a plurality of state set calls, and using small vertex formats.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein optimizing the shader pipeline calls comprises performing at least one from a set, the set comprising:

sending a mesh to the client after the mesh has changed, and sending a vertex buffer to the client after the vertex buffer has changed.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein optimizing the shader pipeline calls comprises:

determining at least one second shader pipeline call that results in the same output as the shader pipeline calls; and

substituting every second shader pipeline call for the shader pipeline calls.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting a fixed function pipeline API call of the application comprises:

when the application attempts to load a fixed function pipeline API library corresponding to the fixed function pipeline API call, loading an interceptor library.

12. A system for sending graphics calls for an application that uses a fixed function pipeline application programming interface (API) to a client via a remote session that supports sending shader pipeline API calls, comprising:

circuitry for intercepting a fixed function pipeline API call of the application;

circuitry for wrapping the fixed function pipeline call;

circuitry for mapping the wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call; and

circuitry for sending the shared pipeline API call to the client.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the circuitry for mapping the wrapped call to the shader pipeline API call comprises:

circuitry for determining that the fixed function pipeline call has a name, at least one argument and a return value that equals a name, at least one argument and a return value of a shader pipeline call; and

the circuitry for sending the shader pipeline API call to the client comprises;

circuitry for sending the wrapped call to the client.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the circuitry for mapping the wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call comprises:

circuitry for determining that the wrapped call has an equivalent shader pipeline call.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a wrapped call has an equivalent shader pipeline call when the two calls have the same return value and arguments, or the same return value and the wrapped call'"'"'s arguments comprise a subset of equivalent shader pipeline call'"'"'s arguments.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the circuitry for mapping the wrapped call to the shader pipeline API call comprises:

circuitry for determining a shader pipeline API call that is influenced by the wrapped call.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a shader pipeline call is influenced by a wrapped call when the shader pipeline call corresponds to a shader program that produces the same graphical output as the wrapped call.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

circuitry for intercepting a plurality of fixed function pipeline API calls;

circuitry for wrapping each of the plurality of fixed function pipeline API calls;

circuitry for mapping each wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call;

circuitry for optimizing the shader pipeline API calls; and

circuitry for sending the optimized shader pipeline API calls to the client.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the circuitry for optimizing the shader pipeline calls comprises circuitry for performing at least one from a set, the set comprising:

batching a plurality of state set calls, and using small vertex formats.

20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions, that when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

intercepting a plurality of fixed function pipeline API calls of an application;

wrapping each fixed function pipeline call;

mapping each wrapped call to a shader pipeline API call;

optimizing the shader pipeline API calls to produce at least one optimized shader pipeline API call; and

sending each optimized shared pipeline API call to the client.