Method and System for Minimizing an Amount of Data Needed to Test Data Against Subarea Boundaries in Spatially Composited Digital Video

• US 20080211805A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yu, David, Ungar, Paul Jeffrey, Schafer, Marc, BLYTHE, David R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,737,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/10 Constructive solid geometry [CSG] using solid primitives, e.g. cylinders, cubes

Abstract

A method and system for minimizing an amount of data needed to test data against subarea boundaries in spatially composited digital video. Spatial compositing uses a graphics unit or pipeline to render a portion (subarea) of each overall frame of digital video images. This reduces the amount of data that each processor must act on and increases the rate at which an overall frame is rendered. Optimization of spatial compositing depends on balancing the processing load among the different pipelines. The processing load typically is a direct function of the size of a given subarea and a function of the rendering complexity for objects within this subarea. Load balancing strives to measure these variables and adjust, from frame to frame, the number, sizes, and positions of the subareas. The cost of this approach is the necessity to communicate, in conjunction with each frame, the graphics data that will be rendered. Graphics data for a frame is composed of geometry chunks. Each geometry chunk is defined by its own bounding region, where the bounding region defines the space the geometry chunk occupies on the compositing window. Only the parameters that define the bounding region are communicated to each graphics unit in conjunction with the determination of which graphics unit will render the geometry chunk defined by the bounding region. The actual graphics data that comprises the geometry chunk is communicated only to those geometry units that will actually render the geometry chunk. This reduces the amount of data needed to communicate graphics data information in spatially composited digital video.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method for reducing an amount of data needed to determine where, in a computer system, to render a geometry chunk, comprising:

communicating, to a graphics rendering device, data that define a bounding region that outlines a space the geometry chunk occupies, wherein an amount of the data that define the bounding region is less than an amount of data of the geometry chunk; and

determining, from the data that define the bounding region, whether the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the geometry chunk comprises at least one piece of geometry and the geometry chunk is configured to be communicated by a graphics application as a unit.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data of the geometry chunk include graphics data that define each of the at least one piece of geometry, a number of the each of the at least one piece of geometry, and a position of the each of the at least one piece of geometry.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the graphics data that define the each of the at least one piece of geometry are stored in at least one of a display list, a vertex array object, and buffered vertices.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the graphics rendering device is assigned to a subarea of a compositing window and the determining, from the data that define the bounding region, if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device comprises determining at least one of if the subarea contains the bounding region, if the bounding region contains the subarea, and if the bounding region overlaps the subarea.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the graphics rendering device is one of a plurality of graphics rendering devices and the plurality of graphics rendering devices are configured for spatial compositing.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

calculating the data that define the bounding region;

storing the data that define the bounding region for use in processing the geometry chunk at a subsequent time; and

determining, at the subsequent time, if the bounding region for the geometry chunk has been calculated.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

communicating the data of the geometry chunk to the graphics rendering device if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device; and

rendering, by the graphics rendering device, a subarea of a compositing window.

30. A method for reducing an amount of data needed to determine where, in a computer system, to render a geometry chunk, comprising:

determining, from data that define a bounding region that outlines a space the geometry chunk occupies, whether the geometry chunk is associated with a graphics rendering device, wherein an amount of the data that define the bounding region is less than an amount of data of the geometry chunk; and

communicating the data of the geometry chunk to the graphics rendering device if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the geometry chunk comprises at least one piece of geometry and the geometry chunk is configured to be communicated by a graphics application as a unit.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the data of the geometry chunk include graphics data that define each of the at least one piece of geometry, a number of the each of the at least one piece of geometry, and a position of the each of the at least one piece of geometry.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the graphics data that define the each of the at least one piece of geometry are stored in at least one of a display list, a vertex array object, and buffered vertices.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the graphics rendering device is assigned to a subarea of a compositing window and the determining, from the data that define the bounding region, if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device comprises determining at least one of if the subarea contains the bounding region, if the bounding region contains the subarea, and if the bounding region overlaps the subarea.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the graphics rendering device is one of a plurality of graphics rendering devices and the plurality of graphics rendering devices are configured for spatial compositing.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

calculating the data that define the bounding region;

storing the data that define the bounding region for use in processing the geometry chunk at a subsequent time; and

determining, at the subsequent time, if the bounding region for the geometry chunk has been calculated.

37. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

communicating, to the graphics rendering device, the data that define the bounding region that outlines the space the geometry chunk occupies; and

rendering, by the graphics rendering device, a subarea of a compositing window.

38. An apparatus for reducing an amount of data needed to determine where, in a computer system, to render a geometry chunk, comprising:

a bus configured to communicate data that define a bounding region that outlines a space the geometry chunk occupies, wherein an amount of the data that define the bounding region is less than an amount of data of the geometry chunk; and

a graphics rendering device configured to receive the data that define the bounding region and to determine, from the data that define the bounding region, whether the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the geometry chunk comprises at least one piece of geometry and the geometry chunk is configured to be communicated by a graphics application as a unit.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the data of the geometry chunk include graphics data that define each of the at least one piece of geometry, a number of the each of the at least one piece of geometry, and a position of the each of the at least one piece of geometry.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the graphics data that define the each of the at least one piece of geometry are stored in at least one of a display list, a vertex array object, and buffered vertices.

42. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the graphics rendering device is further configured to be assigned to a subarea of a compositing window and to determine, from the data that define the bounding region, at least one of if the subarea contains the bounding region, if the bounding region contains the subarea, and if the bounding region overlaps the subarea.

43. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the graphics rendering device is one of a plurality of graphics rendering devices and the plurality of graphics rendering devices are configured for spatial compositing.

44. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising:

a processor configured to calculate the data that define the bounding region and to determine if the bounding region for the geometry chunk has been calculated; and

a memory configured to store the data that define the bounding region for use in processing the geometry chunk at a subsequent time.

45. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the bus is further configured to communicate the data of the geometry chunk to the graphics rendering device if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device and the graphics rendering device is further configured to render a subarea of a compositing window.

46. An apparatus for reducing an amount of data needed to determine where, in a computer system, to render a geometry chunk, comprising:

a graphics rendering device configured to determine, from data that define a bounding region that outlines a space the geometry chunk occupies, whether the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device, wherein an amount of the data that define the bounding region is less than an amount of data of the geometry chunk; and

a bus configured to communicate the data of the geometry chunk to the graphics rendering device if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the geometry chunk comprises at least one piece of geometry and the geometry chunk is configured to be communicated by a graphics application as a unit.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the data of the geometry chunk include graphics data that define each of the at least one piece of geometry, a number of the each of the at least one piece of geometry, and a position of the each of the at least one piece of geometry.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the graphics data that define the each of the at least one piece of geometry are stored in at least one of a display list, a vertex array object, and buffered vertices.

50. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the graphics rendering device is further configured to be assigned to a subarea of a compositing window and to determine, from the data that define the bounding region, at least one of if the subarea contains the bounding region, if the bounding region contains the subarea, and if the bounding region overlaps the subarea.

51. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the graphics rendering device is one of a plurality of graphics rendering devices and the plurality of graphics rendering devices are configured for spatial compositing.

52. The apparatus of claim 46, further comprising:

a processor configured to calculate the data that define the bounding region and to determine if the bounding region for the geometry chunk has been calculated; and

a memory configured to store the data that define the bounding region for use in processing the geometry chunk at a subsequent time.

53. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the bus is further configured to communicate, to the graphics rendering device, the data that define the bounding region that outlines the space the geometry chunk occupies and the graphics rendering device is further configured to render a subarea of a compositing window.

54. A computer program product for reducing an amount of data needed to determine where, in a computer system, to render a geometry chunk, the computer program product having a computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program code comprising:

a first program code for causing a computer to communicate, to a graphics rendering device, data that define a bounding region that outlines a space the geometry chunk occupies, wherein an amount of the data that define the bounding region is less than an amount of data of the geometry chunk; and

a second program code for causing the computer to determine, from the data that define the bounding region, whether the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device.

55. The computer program product of claim 54, further comprising:

a third program code for causing the computer to calculate the data that define the bounding region;

a fourth program code for causing the computer to store the data that define the bounding region for use in processing the geometry chunk at a subsequent time; and

a fifth program code for causing the computer to determine, at the subsequent time, if the bounding region for the geometry chunk has been calculated.

56. The computer program product of claim 54, further comprising:

a third program code for causing the computer to communicate the data of the geometry chunk to the graphics rendering device if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device; and

a fourth program code for causing the computer to render, by the graphics rendering device, a subarea of a compositing window.

57. A computer program product for reducing an amount of data needed to determine where, in a computer system, to render a geometry chunk, the computer program product having a computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program code comprising:

a first program code for causing a computer to determine, from data that define a bounding region that outlines a space the geometry chunk occupies, whether the geometry chunk is associated with a graphics rendering device, wherein an amount of the data that define the bounding region is less than an amount of data of the geometry chunk; and

a second program code for causing the computer to communicate the data of the geometry chunk to the graphics rendering device if the geometry chunk is associated with the graphics rendering device.

58. The computer program product of claim 57, further comprising:

a third program code for causing the computer to calculate the data that define the bounding region;

a fourth program code for causing the computer to store the data that define the bounding region for use in processing the geometry chunk at a subsequent time; and

a fifth program code for causing the computer to determine, at the subsequent time, if the bounding region for the geometry chunk has been calculated.

59. The computer program product of claim 57, further comprising:

a third program code for causing the computer to communicate, to the graphics rendering device, the data that define the bounding region that outlines the space the geometry chunk occupies; and

a fourth program code for causing the computer to render, by the graphics rendering device, a subarea of a compositing window.