System and method for storing and accessing data representative of an object in various level-of-detail
First Claim
1. A method of displaying an object represented in a plurality of levels of detail (LODs), the method comprising the steps of:
- storing in a secondary memory each LOD divided into a plurality of LOD cells, wherein each LOD cell represents a portion of the object;
pre-designating, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells to be loaded into system memory with the corresponding LOD cell, whereby the probability is increased that a desired portion of the object is available in system memory when required for processing;
after the pre-designating step, determining a point of interest on the object;
determining, for each LOD, an LOD cell including the point of interest;
retrieving from the secondary memory, for each LOD, the determined LOD cell and a corresponding set of pre-designated LOD cells;
storing in a system memory the retrieved LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells; and
generating display signals from LOD cells selected from the LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells stored in system memory.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for storing a data representative of an object in various LODs. Each LOD representation is divided into a plurality of LOD cells and stored in a secondary memory. A designer designates a set of LOD cells with each of the plurality of LOD cells. When the projection of an eye point falls within a subject LOD cell, the set of LOD cells designated with the subject LOD cell are retrieved into a system memory. Thus, by properly designating the set of LOD cells, the designer may ensure that the desired LOD cells are in the system memory when required for processing. As a result, the data in the LOD cells may be accessed at a relatively high rate from the system memory when processing the LOD data. As only the required cells are retrieved into the system memory, the amount of memory required for storing the LOD data is also minimized.
76 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of displaying an object represented in a plurality of levels of detail (LODs), the method comprising the steps of:
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storing in a secondary memory each LOD divided into a plurality of LOD cells, wherein each LOD cell represents a portion of the object; pre-designating, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells to be loaded into system memory with the corresponding LOD cell, whereby the probability is increased that a desired portion of the object is available in system memory when required for processing; after the pre-designating step, determining a point of interest on the object; determining, for each LOD, an LOD cell including the point of interest; retrieving from the secondary memory, for each LOD, the determined LOD cell and a corresponding set of pre-designated LOD cells; storing in a system memory the retrieved LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells; and generating display signals from LOD cells selected from the LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells stored in system memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of displaying an object represented in a plurality of levels of detail (LODs), the method comprising the steps of:
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dividing each LOD into a plurality of LOD cells, wherein each LOD cell represents a portion of the object; storing each LOD cell in a secondary memory as a unit which can be retrieved without retrieving any other LOD cell; pre-designating, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells to be loaded into system memory with the corresponding LOD cell, whereby the probability is increased that a desired portion of the object is available in system memory when required for processing; determining a plurality of desired LOD cells required for generating an image of the object, wherein the plurality of desired LOD cells are comprised in one or more of the LOD representations; determining, for each LOD, an LOD cell including the point of interest, wherein each of the corresponding sets of LOD cells are comprised in the plurality of desired LOD cells; retrieving into a system memory the determined plurality of desired LOD cells; and generating display signals from the stored plurality of desired LOD cells.
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13. A system for displaying an object represented in a plurality of levels of detail (LODs), the system comprising:
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means for storing in a secondary memory each LOD divided into a plurality of LOD cells, wherein each LOD cell represents a portion of the object; means for pre-designating, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells to be loaded into system memory with the corresponding LOD cell, whereby the probability is increased that a desired portion of the object is available in system memory when required for processing; means for determining, after pre-designating the corresponding set of LOD cells, a point of interest on the object; means for determining, for each LOD, an LOD cell including the point of interest; means for retrieving from the secondary memory, for each LOD, the determined LOD cell and a corresponding set of pre-designated LOD cells; means for storing in a system memory the retrieved LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells; and means for generating display signals from LOD cells selected from the LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells stored in system memory. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer program product for use with a computer system comprising a host processor, a system memory, a secondary memory, a graphics controller, and a display unit, the computer system for displaying an object represented in a plurality of levels of detail (LODs), the computer program product comprising:
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computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to store in secondary memory each LOD divided into a plurality of LOD cells, wherein each LOD cell represents a portion of the object; computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to pre-designate, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells to be loaded into system memory with the corresponding LOD cell, whereby the probability is increased that a desired portion of the object is available in system memory when required for processing; computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to determine a point of interest on the object after pre-designating, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells; computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to determine for each LOD, an LOD cell including the point of interest, computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to retrieve from the secondary memory, for each LOD, the determined LOD cell and a corresponding set of pre-designated LOD cells; computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to store in system memory the retrieved LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells; and computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to generate display signals from LOD cells selected from the stored LOD cells and corresponding sets of predetermined LOD cells stored in system memory. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of displaying an object represented in a plurality of levels of detail (LODs), the method comprising the steps of:
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storing in a secondary memory each LOD divided into a plurality of LOD cells, wherein each LOD cell represents a portion of the object; pre-designating, for each LOD cell, a corresponding set of LOD cells to be loaded into system memory with the corresponding LOD cell, whereby the probability is increased that a desired portion of the object is available in system memory when required for processing; after the pre-designating step, determining a point of interest on the object; determining, for an LOD, an LOD cell including the point of interest; retrieving from the secondary memory, for each LOD, the determined LOD cell and a corresponding set of pre-designated LOD cells; storing in a system memory the retrieved LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells; and generating display signals from LOD cells selected from the LOD cells and corresponding sets of pre-designated LOD cells stored in system memory.
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Specification