Methods and apparatus for determining high quality sampling data from low quality sampling data

• US 7,969,433 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Meyer, Mark, Anderson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US11/562,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20070139433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/421, 345/422, 345/582, 345/505, 345/536, 345/426, 345/424, 345/427, 348/E13.025, 348/36, 348/223.1, 382/154, 715/704
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/06 Ray-tracing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/50 Lighting effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

A method for a computer system includes determining a plurality of illumination modes associated with a plurality of scene descriptors, wherein the plurality of scene descriptors includes a first scene descriptor and a second scene descriptor, determining a first plurality of weights, wherein each weight from the first plurality of weights is associated with an illumination mode from the plurality of illumination modes, determining illumination data associated with the first scene descriptor in response to the first plurality of weights and in response to the plurality of illumination modes, determining a second plurality of weights, wherein each weight from the second plurality of weights is associated with an illumination mode from the plurality of illumination modes, and determining illumination data associated with the second scene descriptor in response to the second plurality of weights and in response to the plurality of illumination modes.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method performed by a computer system including a processor and a memory programmed to perform the method comprising:

performing by the computer system a rendering operation for a plurality of scenes at a plurality of sampling locations with the processor to form a first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes, in response to a plurality of scene descriptor data associated with the plurality of scenes stored in the memory, wherein at least two of the plurality of scenes have different temporal values in an animation sequence;

determining by the computer system (a) a plurality of sampled rendering result modes associated with each of the plurality of scenes with the processor in response to the first plurality of sampled rendering results and (b) a plurality of weights associated with each of the plurality of scenes with the processor in response to the first plurality of sampled rendering results;

determining by the computer system a second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes with the processor in response to the plurality of sampled rendering result modes associated with each of the plurality of scenes and in response to the plurality of weights associated with each of the plurality of scenes;

performing by the computer system additional rendering operations to form a plurality of images with the processor, in response to the second plurality of sampled rendering results; and

storing by the computer system representations of the plurality of images in a tangible media.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of sampled rendering results provide data selected from a group consisting of:

motion blur data, depth of field data, ray tracing data, occlusion data, reflection data, transparency data, surface normal data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes has sampling noise lower than the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes.

4. The method of claim 2

wherein a first set of sampled rendering results from the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with a first scene is associated with a sampling rate of X samples per pixel;

wherein a first set of sampled rendering results from the second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the first scene is associated with an effective sampling rate of Y samples per pixel; and

wherein Y>

X.

5. The method of claim 4

wherein a number of scenes in the plurality of scenes is M;

and

wherein Y is approximately equal to X*M.

6. The method of claim 4

wherein a number of scenes in the plurality of scenes is M;

wherein a number of sampled rendering result modes in the plurality of sampled rendering result modes is N; and

wherein N<

M.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein N is approximately 3 or greater.

8. A tangible media storing the representations of the plurality of images formed according to method of claim 1.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying by the computer system the plurality of images on a display.

10. A computer system programmed to form a first plurality of sampled rendering results comprises:

a memory configured to store a plurality of scene descriptor data associated with a plurality of scenes, wherein at least two of the plurality of scenes have different temporal values in an animation sequence;

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is programmed to perform rendering operations for the plurality of scenes at a plurality of sampling locations to form the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes, in response to the plurality of scene descriptor data,

wherein the processor is programmed to determine (a) a plurality of sampled rendering result modes associated with each of the plurality of scenes in response to the first plurality of sampled rendering results and (b) a plurality of weights associated with each of the plurality of scenes in response to the first plurality of sampled rendering results,

wherein the processor is programmed to determine a second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes in response to the plurality of sampled rendering result modes associated with each of the plurality of scenes and in response to the plurality of weights associated with each of the plurality of scenes,

wherein the processor is programmed to perform additional rendering operations to form a plurality of images, in response to the second plurality of sampled rendering results, and

wherein the memory is programmed to store representations of the plurality of images in a tangible media.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the first plurality of sampled rendering results provide data selected from a group consisting of:

motion blur data, depth of field data, ray tracing data, occlusion data, reflection data, transparency data, surface normal data.

12. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes has sampling noise lower than the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes.

13. The computer system of claim 11

wherein a first set of sampled rendering results from the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with a first scene is associated with a sampling rate of X samples per pixel;

wherein a first set of sampled rendering results from the second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the first scene is associated with an effective sampling rate of Y samples per pixel; and

wherein Y>

X.

14. The computer system of claim 13

wherein a number of scenes in the plurality of scenes is M;

and

wherein Y is approximately equal to X*M.

15. The computer system of claim 13

wherein a number of scenes in the plurality of scenes is M;

wherein a number of sampled rendering result modes in the plurality of sampled rendering result modes is N; and

wherein N<

M.

16. The computer system of claim 13 wherein N is approximately 3 or greater.

17. The computer system of claim 10 further comprising a display configured to display the plurality of images.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory tangible media including computer executable software code for a computer system that is executable on the computer system comprises:

code that programs a processor to perform a rendering operation for a plurality of scenes at a plurality of sampling locations to form a first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes, in response to a plurality of scene descriptor data associated with the plurality of scenes, wherein at least two of the plurality of scenes have different temporal values in an animation sequence;

code that programs the processor to determine (a) a plurality of sampled rendering result modes associated with each of the plurality of scenes with the processor in response to the first plurality of sampled rendering results and (b) a plurality of weights associated with each of the plurality of scenes in response to the first plurality of sampled rendering results;

code that programs the processor to determine a second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes in response to the plurality of sampled rendering result modes associated with each of the plurality of scenes and in response to the plurality of weights associated with each of the plurality of scenes;

code that programs the processor to perform additional rendering operations to form a plurality of images, in response to the second plurality of sampled rendering results; and

code that programs the processor to store representations of the plurality of images in a tangible media.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the first plurality of sampled rendering results comprise data selected from a group consisting of:

motion blur data, depth of field data, ray tracing data, occlusion data, reflection data, transparency data, surface normal data.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes has sampling noise lower than the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the plurality of scenes.

21. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein a first set of sampled rendering results from the first plurality of sampled rendering results associated with a first scene is associated with a sampling rate of X samples per pixel;

wherein a first set of sampled rendering results from the second plurality of sampled rendering results associated with the first scene is associated with an effective sampling rate of Y samples per pixel; and

wherein Y>

X.

22. The computer program product of claim 21

wherein a number of scenes in the plurality of scenes is M;

and

wherein Y is approximately equal to X*M.

23. The computer program product of claim 21

wherein a number of scenes in the plurality of scenes is M;

wherein a number of sampled rendering result modes in the plurality of sampled rendering result modes is N; and

wherein N<

M.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein N is 3 or greater.

25. The computer system of claim 18 further comprising code that directs a processor a display to display the plurality of images.