METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED PROCESSING OF THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) GRAPHICS DATA

• US 20140139513A1
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mammou, Khaled
• Granted Patent: US 10,699,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/001 Model-based coding, e.g. wire frame

Abstract

A method and apparatus provides for enhanced processing of 3D graphics data such as image-based 3D graphics data. The image-based 3D graphics data may include data defining texture, bump, normals, displacement, etc for underlying objects. In one example, the method and apparatus compresses image-based 3D graphics data as one or more frames contained in one or more videos and decompresses the compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by a GPU. In another example the method and apparatus may also selectively control caching of image-based 3D graphics data. Before so cached, the image-based 3D graphics data may be compressed as one or more frames contained in one or more videos using video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to achieve efficient usage of cache space.

Claims

1. A method for processing three dimensional (3D) graphics data, the method comprising:

compressing 3D graphics data as one or more frames contained in one or more videos, wherein the 3D graphics data forms one or more images; and

associating 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data with video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by a GPU based on the information indicating association between 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data and video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data comprises decompressing one or more videos having one or more frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3D graphics data is compressed as video frames that are not dependent on each other for rendering.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the 3D graphics data is compressed as H.264 intra-frames.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the compressed 3D graphics data is decompressed by decompressing one or more video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3D graphics data defines at least one of the following:

texture map;

displacement map; and

normal map.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprises selectively caching of the compressed 3D graphics data on the GPU.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selective caching comprises updating one or more cache tables with information indicating association between 3D objects defined by the cached compressed 3D graphics data and one or more video frames comprising the cached compressed 3D graphics data.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprises determine whether the video acceleration hardware can decompress the compressed 3D graphics data, and decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU, in response to a determination that the video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU can decompress the compressed 3D graphics data.

11. An apparatus operative to process 3D graphics data, the apparatus comprising:

logic comprising a 3D graphics data processing handler, operatively connected to a graphics processing unit (GPU), operative to;

instruct video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to decompress 3D graphics data compressed as one or more frames contained in one or more videos, wherein the 3D graphics data forms one or more images.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data comprises decompressing one or more videos having one or more frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, where in the 3D graphics data defines at least one of the following:

texture map;

displacement map; and

normal map.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, where in the 3D graphics handler is further operative to determine whether the video acceleration hardware can decompress the compressed 3D graphics data, and decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU, in response to a determination that the video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU can decompress the compressed 3D graphics data.

12. The apparatus of claim 111, wherein the 3D graphics data processing handler is further operative to instruct video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to compress the 3D graphics data as one or more frames contained in one or more videos.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein 3D graphics data processing handler is further operative to:

associate 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data with video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the 3D graphics data is compressed as video frames that are not dependent on each other for rendering.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the 3D graphics data is compressed as H.264 intra-frames.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the compressed 3D graphics data is decompressed by decompressing one or more video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the 3D graphics processing handler is further operative to selectively cache the compressed 3D graphics data on the GPU.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the selective caching comprises updating one or more cache tables with information indicating association between 3D objects defined by the cached compressed 3D graphics data and one or more video frames comprising the cached compressed 3D graphics data.

22. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising

memory, operatively connected to the 3D graphics processing handler, configured to store information indicating association between 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data and video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data, and wherein the instruction to decompress 3D graphics data is generated based on the information indicating association between 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data and video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data;

and

a GPU, operatively connected to the 3D graphics processing handler, comprising;

video acceleration hardware operative to encode and decode video; and

memory configured to store graphics data.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by one or more processors causes one or more processors to:

instruct video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to decompress 3D graphics data compressed as one or more frames contained in one or more videos, wherein the 3D graphics data forms one or more images.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions when executed by one or more processors causes one or more processors further to:

instruct video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to compress the 3D graphics data as one or more frames contained in one or more videos.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions when executed by one or more processors causes one or more processors further to:

associate 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data with video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data comprises decompressing the videos having the frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the 3D graphics data is compressed as video frames that are not dependent on each other for rendering.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, the 3D graphics data is compressed as H.264 intra-frames.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the compressed 3D graphics data is decompressed by decompressing one or more video frames comprising the 3D graphics data.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions when executed by one or more processors causes one or more processors further to selectively cache the compressed 3D graphics data on the GPU.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the selective caching comprises updating one or more cache tables with information indicating an association between 3D objects defined by the cached compressed 3D graphics data and one or more video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions when executed by one or more processors causes one or more processors further to:

determine whether the video acceleration hardware can decompress the compressed 3D graphics data, and decompressing the compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU, in response to a determination that the video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU can decompress the compressed 3D graphics data.

33. A method for processing three dimensional (3D) graphics data, the method comprising:

decompressing, by decompressing logic, compressed 3D graphics data using video acceleration hardware provided by a graphics processing unit (GPU) based on information indicating association between 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data and video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.

34. The method of claim 33 comprising displaying the decompressed 3D graphics data on a display.

35. An apparatus operative to process 3D graphics data, the apparatus comprising:

logic comprising a 3D graphics data processing handler, operatively connected to a graphics processing unit (GPU), operative to;

instruct video acceleration hardware provided by the GPU to compress the 3D graphics data as one or more frames contained in one or more videos; and

associate 3D objects defined by the 3D graphics data with video frames comprising the compressed 3D graphics data.