Graphics system interface

• US 6,411,301 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2001
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Cheng, Howard, Moore, Robert, Parikh, Vimal
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka J.
• Application Number:
  US09/886,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20020057275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 345/427, 345/501, 345/503, 345/520, 345/522, 345/559, 345/565, 345/567, 709/328, 712/208
• US Class Current: 345/522
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

An interface for a graphics system includes simple yet powerful constructs that are easy for an application programmer to use and learn. Features include a unique vertex representation allowing the graphics pipeline to retain vertex state information and to mix indexed and direct vertex values and attributes; a projection matrix value set command; a display list call object command; and an embedded frame buffer clear/set command.

Claims

1. A graphics system command stream for use in a graphics system having a transform unit, the command stream being operable upon execution to load a projection matrix into the transform unit, the command stream comprising:

a bit pattern “

00010000”

, followed by

a pad, followed by

a 21-bit value including sixteen bits of address indicating a transform unit register location and an additional five bits indicating how many words will follow, followed by

at least one additional 32-bit word providing a projection matrix element value,

wherein upon execution of the command stream the projection matrix is loaded into the transform unit.

2. A computer readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions for loading a projection matrix into a transform unit comprising:

a bit pattern “

00010000”

, followed by

a pad, followed by

a 21-bit value including sixteen bits of address indicating a transform unit register location and an additional five bits indicating how many words will follow, followed by

at least one additional 32-bit word providing a projection matrix element value,

wherein execution of the encoded instructions loads the projection matrix into the transform unit.

3. A graphics command stream decoder comprising:

a first decoding section decoding a bit pattern “

00010000”

, followed by

a second decoding section decoding a pad, followed by

a third decoding section decoding a 21-bit value including sixteen bits of address indicating a transform unit register location and an additional five bits indicating how many words will follow, followed by

at least one additional decoding section decoding at least one additional 32-bit word providing a projection matrix element value.

4. A method of loading a projection matrix into a transform unit using a graphics command stream, the method comprising:

generating a bit pattern “

00010000”

, then

generating a pad, then

generating a 21-bit value including sixteen bits of address indicating a transform unit register location and an additional five bits indicating how many words will follow, then

generating at least one additional 32-bit word providing a projection matrix element value,

wherein upon execution of the graphics command stream the projection matrix is loaded into the transform unit.