Programmable pixel shading architecture

• US 6,724,394 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2001
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Zatz, Harold Robert Feldman, Moreton, Henry P., Lindholm, John Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US09/885,242
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418-421, 345/426, 345/428, 345/581, 345/586, 345/582, 345/583, 345/587, 345/588, 345/589, 345/592, 345/618-620, 345/643, 345/708, 345/712
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/50 Lighting effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/60 Shadow generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/80 Shading

Abstract

A system and associated method are provided for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline. Included is a triangle module coupled to a rasterizer for calculating a plurality of equations using pixel data received from the rasterizer. Also provided is a shader core module coupled to the rasterizer for receiving the pixel data therefrom. The shader core module is further coupled to the triangle module for receiving the equations therefrom. The shader core module functions to execute floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates using the pixel data. Coupled to the shader core module is a texture module. The texture module is capable of looking up texture values using the texture coordinates. Associated therewith is a shader back end module coupled to the texture module and the triangle module. The shader back end module is capable of converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values using the equations. Still yet, a combiner module is coupled to the shader core module and the shader back end module. Such combiner module combines the color values and the texture values.

Claims

1. A system for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline, comprising:

(a) a triangle module coupled to a rasterizer for calculating a plurality of equations using pixel data received from the rasterizer;

(b) a shader core module coupled to the rasterizer for receiving the pixel data therefrom and the triangle module for receiving the equations therefrom, the shader core module capable of executing floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates using the pixel data;

(c) a texture module coupled to the shader core module, the texture module capable of looking up texture values using the texture coordinates;

(d) a shader back end module coupled to the texture module and the triangle module, the shader back end module capable of converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values using the equations; and

(e) a combiner module coupled to the shader core module and the shader back end module, the combiner module capable of combining the color values and the texture values.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a buffer coupled between the triangle module and the shader core module for temporarily storing an output of the triangle module for use by the shader core module.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a buffer coupled between the triangle module and the shader back end module for temporarily storing the equations for use by the shader back end module.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a buffer coupled between the shader core module and the shader back end module for temporarily storing an output of the floating point calculations for use by the shader back end module.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a buffer coupled between the shader back end module and the combiner module for temporarily storing an output of the combiner module for use by the shader back end module.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of precisions are supported.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the precisions include full precision floating point, a half precision floating point and an integer.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the floating point calculations are selected from the group consisting of no operation, texture fetch, derivative, move, multiply, addition, multiply and addition, reciprocal, reciprocal square root, three component dot product, four component dot product, distance vector, minimum, maximum, pack, unpack, set on less than, set on greater or equal than, floor, fraction, kill pixel, exponential base two (2), logarithm base two (2), and light coefficients.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the shader core module and the combiner module are coupled via a loopback path for allowing the shader core module to utilize an output of the combiner module.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the triangle module includes a plurality of sum-of-products modules.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the shader core module includes a plurality of sum-of-products modules.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the shader back end module includes a plurality of sum-of-products modules.

13. A method for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline, comprising:

(a) calculating a plurality of equations with pixel data received from a rasterizer utilizing a first module;

(b) executing floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates with the pixel data utilizing a second module coupled to the first module;

(c) looking up texture values with the texture coordinates utilizing a third module coupled to the second module;

(d) converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values with the equations utilizing a fourth module coupled to the third module; and

(e) combining the color values and the texture values utilizing a fifth module coupled to the fourth module.

14. A computer product for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline, comprising:

(a) a computer signal for calculating a plurality of equations with pixel data received from a rasterizer;

(b) a computer signal for executing floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates with the pixel data;

(c) a computer signal for looking up texture values with the texture coordinates;

(d) a computer signal for converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values with the equations; and

(e) a computer signal for combining the color values and the texture values.

15. A system for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline, comprising:

(a) a first module coupled to a rasterizer for calculating a plurality of equations using pixel data received from the rasterizer;

(b) a second module coupled to the rasterizer for receiving the pixel data therefrom and the first module for receiving the equations therefrom, the second module capable of executing floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates using the pixel data;

(c) a third module coupled to the second module, the third capable of looking up texture values using the texture coordinates;

(d) a fourth module coupled to the second module and the third module, the fourth module capable of converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values using the equations;

(e) a fifth module coupled to the second module and the fourth module, the fifth module capable of combining the color values and the texture values;

(f) a first buffer coupled between the first module and the second module for temporarily storing an output of the first module for use by the second module;

(g) a second buffer coupled between the first module and the fourth module for temporarily storing the equations for use by the fourth module;

(h) a third buffer coupled between the second module and the fifth module for temporarily storing an output of the floating point calculations for use by the fifth module; and

(i) a fourth buffer coupled between the fourth module and the fifth module for temporarily storing an output of the fifth module for use by the fourth module.

16. A system for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline, comprising:

(a) a first module coupled to a rasterizer for calculating a plurality of equations using pixel data received from the rasterizer;

(b) a second module coupled to the rasterizer for receiving the pixel data therefrom and the first module for receiving the equations therefrom, the second module capable of executing floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates using the pixel data;

(c) a third module coupled to the second module, the third capable of looking up texture values using the texture coordinates;

(d) a fourth module coupled to the second module and the third module, the fourth module capable of converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values using the equations; and

(e) a fifth module coupled to the second module and the fourth module, the fifth module capable of combining the color values and the texture values;

(f) wherein a plurality of precisions are supported including full precision floating point, half precision floating point and integer.

17. A system for processing pixel data in a graphics pipeline, comprising:

(a) a first module coupled to a rasterizer for calculating a plurality of equations

using pixel data received from the rasterizer;

(b) a second module coupled to the rasterizer for receiving the pixel data therefrom and the first module for receiving the equations therefrom, the second module capable of executing floating point calculations and generating texture coordinates using the pixel data, wherein the floating point calculations include a no operation, texture fetch, derivative, move, multiply, addition, multiply and addition, reciprocal, reciprocal square root, three component dot product, four component dot product, distance vector, minimum, maximum, pack, unpack, set on less than, set on greater or equal than, floor, fraction, kill pixel, exponential base two (2), logarithm base two (2), and light coefficients;

(c) a third module coupled to the second module, the third capable of looking up texture values using the texture coordinates;

(d) a fourth module coupled to the second module and the third module, the fourth module capable of converting the texture values to an appropriate floating point representation and generating color values using the equations; and

(e) a fifth module coupled to the second module and the fourth module, the fifth module capable of combining the color values and the texture values.