Immediate mode drawing interface for the construction of graphics software

• US 5,982,399 A
• Filed: 03/26/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Scully, Robert T., Hsu, Ching-Chi Billy, Covey, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka J.
• Application Number:
  US08/826,339
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 345/501-506, 345/520, 345/522, 345/526, 395/712, 395/527, 395/680-685, 395/828, 395/830, 395/831, 395/390, 395/391, 395/567, 395/707, 709/300-305
• US Class Current: 345/522
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/405 using Z-buffer

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and article of manufacture for providing compatibility between an application program and a renderer executing on a computer. An application program, executed by the computer, receives commands from a user via the input device and generates an output command stream in response thereto, wherein the output command stream comprises one or more instructions for generating the graphic images. A version renderer program, executed by the computer and coupled to the application program, translates the output command stream received from the application program into a renderer command stream. One or more renderer programs, executed by the computer and coupled to the version renderer program, receive the renderer command stream from the version renderer program, selectively modify the renderer command stream, and selectively transmit the renderer command stream to the graphics peripheral device or to one or more of the other renderer programs.

Claims

1. A system for generating graphic images using a renderer program, comprising:

a computer having a graphics peripheral device and an input peripheral device attached thereto;

a first version of the renderer program, executed by the computer, for receiving a command stream in a first format, for selectively responding to commands within the command stream, for selectively modifying the command stream, and for transmitting the command stream directly to the graphics peripheral device or directly to another renderer program;

a second version of the renderer program, executed by the computer, for receiving a command stream in a second format, for selectively responding to commands within the command stream, for selectively modifying the command stream, and for transmitting the command stream directly to the graphics peripheral device or directly to another renderer program;

an application program, executed by the computer, for receiving commands from the input device and for generating an application output command stream in response thereto, wherein the application output command stream is in the first format so that it is compatible with the first version of the renderer program, and comprises one or more instructions for generating the graphic images;

a version renderer program, executed by the computer and coupled between the application program and the second version of the renderer program, for receiving the application output command stream from the application program, for selectively transforming the application output command stream into a command stream in the second format so that it is compatible with the second version of the renderer program, and for transmitting the selectively transformed application output command stream to the second version of the renderer program.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first version of the renderer program is an earlier version than the second version of the renderer program.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first version of the renderer program is a later version than the second version of the renderer program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a version of the application program is an earlier version than the second version of the renderer program.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a version of the application program is a later version than the second version of the renderer program.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the renderer programs support different kinds of graphics hardware.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the renderer programs are stackable into a renderer stack.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the renderer stack includes multiple renderer programs that are selectively and dynamically bound to the graphics hardware during execution.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the renderer stack comprises a tree.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the renderer programs are stackable into multiple renderer stacks.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the application output command stream is transmitted to multiple renderer programs.

12. A system for generating graphic images, comprising:

a computer having a graphics peripheral device and an input peripheral device attached thereto;

a first version of an application program, executed by the computer, for receiving commands from the input device and for generating an application output command stream in a first format in response thereto, wherein the application output command stream in the first format comprises one or more instructions for generating the graphic images;

a second version of the application program, executed by the computer, for receiving commands from the input device and for generating an application output command stream in a second format response thereto, wherein the application output command stream in the second format comprises one or more instructions for generating the graphic images;

a renderer program executed by the computer, compatible with the application output command stream in the first format, for transmitting a command stream directly to the graphics peripheral device or directly to another renderer program; and

a version renderer program, executed by the computer and coupled between the second version of the application program and the renderer program, for selectively transforming the application output command stream in the second format into a renderer command stream that is compatible with the renderer program and for sending the renderer command stream to the renderer program.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first version of the application program is an earlier version than the second version of the application program.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first version of the application program is a later version than the second version of the application program.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein a version of the renderer program is an earlier version than the second version of the application program.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein a version of the renderer program is a later version than the second version of the application program.

17. A method of generating graphic images on a computer having a graphics peripheral device and an input peripheral device attached thereto, comprising the steps of:

receiving commands from the input device at an application program executed by the computer;

generating an application output command stream at the application program, wherein the application output command stream is compatible with a first version of a renderer program and comprises one or more instructions for generating the graphic images;

selectively transforming the application output command stream into a renderer command stream that is compatible with a second version of the renderer program at a version renderer program executed by the computer, wherein the version renderer program is coupled between the application program and the second version of the renderer program;

transmitting the renderer command stream from the version renderer program to the second version of the renderer program;

selectively modifying the renderer command stream at the second version of the renderer program; and

selectively transmitting the renderer command stream from the second version of the renderer program directly to the graphics peripheral device or directly to one or more of the other renderer programs.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first version of the renderer program is an earlier version than the second version of the renderer program.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first version of the renderer program is a later version than the second version of the renderer program.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a version of the application program is an earlier version than the second version of the renderer program.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein a version of the application program is a later version than the second version of the renderer program.