US6326964B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for sorting 3D object geometry among image chunks for rendering in a layered graphics rendering system
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
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Filing: 1998-11-06
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Granted: 2001-12-04
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Expires: 2018-11-06
Abstract
Abstract A pre-processing method prepares 3D objects for rendering to image layers in a layered graphics rendering pipeline. The method transforms a bounding volume for an object to a 2D bounding box in a 2D view space. It then subdivides the bounding box into blocks of image samples called chunks. To computer the portion of the object that should be rendered to each chunk, it determines which geometric primitives of the object overlap each chunk and generates a list of primitives to the rendered for each chunk.
Inventors
- 👤 John M. Snyder
- 👤 Conal M. Elliott
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 18:03
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T11/00; G06T11/10; G06T11/40; G06T13/00; G06T13/80; G06T15/00; G06T15/005; G06T15/04; G06T15/50; G06T15/60
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
A method of dividing object geometry of a scene into chunks comprising: maintaining bounding volumes for objects in the scene; projecting the bounding boxes into a 2D view space to determine 2D bounding boxes for the objects, where the 2D bounding boxes are not aligned to screen coordinates of a display device; sub-dividing the 2D bounding boxes into chunks, where the chunks are 2D arrays of image sample coordinates that are not aligned to screen coordinates; and determining how the object geometry enclosed in the bounding boxes overlaps the chunks of corresponding 2D bounding volumes to produce a list of geometric primitives that overlap corresponding chunks.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
106 words
A method of dividing object geometry of a scene into chunks comprising: maintaining bounding volumes for objects in the scene; projecting the bounding boxes into a 2D view space to determine 2D bounding boxes for the objects, where the 2D bounding boxes are not aligned to screen coordinates of a display device; sub-dividing the 2D bounding boxes into chunks, where the chunks are 2D arrays of image sample coordinates that are not aligned to screen coordinates; and determining how the object geometry enclosed in the bounding boxes overlaps the chunks of corresponding 2D bounding volumes to produce a list of geometric primitives that overlap corresponding chunks.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 1 further including: maintaining scene graphs for each of the objects, each scene graph including object geometry and attribute values; maintaining a attribute state structure for each chunk; and processing the object geometry in each of the scene graphs to assign attribute states to the attribute state structure for each chunk for geometric primitives that overlap each chunk.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
113 words
A computer readable medium having instructions for dividing object geometry of a scene into chunks by performing the following: maintaining bounding volumes for objects in the scene; projecting the bounding boxes into a 2D view space to determine 2D bounding boxes for the objects, where the 2D bounding boxes are not aligned to screen coordinates of a display device; sub-dividing the 2D bounding boxes into chunks, where the chunks are 2D arrays of image sample coordinates that are not aligned to screen coordinates; and determining how the object geometry enclosed in the bounding boxes overlaps the chunks of corresponding 2D bounding volumes to produce a list of geometric primitives that overlap corresponding chunks.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
113 words
A computer readable medium having instructions for dividing object geometry of a scene into chunks by performing the following: maintaining bounding volumes for objects in the scene; projecting the bounding boxes into a 2D view space to determine 2D bounding boxes for the objects, where the 2D bounding boxes are not aligned to screen coordinates of a display device; sub-dividing the 2D bounding boxes into chunks, where the chunks are 2D arrays of image sample coordinates that are not aligned to screen coordinates; and determining how the object geometry enclosed in the bounding boxes overlaps the chunks of corresponding 2D bounding volumes to produce a list of geometric primitives that overlap corresponding chunks.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of dividing object geometry of a scene into chunks comprising: projecting object geometry to a 2D view space; progressively subdividing the 2D view space into m by n chunk sub-regions, where m and n are integers; for each subdivision, culling object geometry not overlapping a subregion so that only geometry that overlaps the subregion is maintained for each subregion; and continuing the subdivision until the view space is subdivided into chunk-sized subregions of the 2D view space and generating sets of geometric primitives overlapping each chunk.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of dividing object geometry of a scene into chunks comprising: projecting object geometry to a 2D view space; progressively subdividing the 2D view space into m by n chunk sub-regions, where m and n are integers; for each subdivision, culling object geometry not overlapping a subregion so that only geometry that overlaps the subregion is maintained for each subregion; and continuing the subdivision until the view space is subdivided into chunk-sized subregions of the 2D view space and generating sets of geometric primitives overlapping each chunk.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
86 words
A computer readable medium having instructions for performing the following: projecting object geometry to a 2D view space; progressively subdividing the 2D view space into m by n chunk sub-regions, where m and n are integers; for each subdivision, culling object geometry not overlapping a subregion so that only geometry that overlaps the subregion is maintained for each subregion; and continuing the subdivision until the view space is subdivided into chunk-sized subregions of the 2D view space and generating sets of geometric primitives overlapping each chunk.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
86 words
A computer readable medium having instructions for performing the following: projecting object geometry to a 2D view space; progressively subdividing the 2D view space into m by n chunk sub-regions, where m and n are integers; for each subdivision, culling object geometry not overlapping a subregion so that only geometry that overlaps the subregion is maintained for each subregion; and continuing the subdivision until the view space is subdivided into chunk-sized subregions of the 2D view space and generating sets of geometric primitives overlapping each chunk.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-12-03 | 2005-06-04 | 2005-12-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-12-03 | 2009-06-04 | 2009-12-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-12-03 | 2013-06-04 | 2013-12-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |