Occlusion prediction graphics processing system and method

Abstract

An occlusion prediction graphics processing system and method are presented in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. An occlusion prediction graphics processing method is utilized to predict which pixel values are eventually occluded before intermediate processing stages are performed on the pixel values. For example, occlusion results are predicted before the occlusion stage of a graphics pipeline. The occlusion prediction results are based upon an occlusion value received from later in a graphics processing pipeline (e.g., a raster operation stage). A convex polygonal prediction area can be established and a nearest vertex of the convex polygonal prediction area is selected for prediction analysis. Pixel values are removed or discarded from the pipeline based upon the occlusion prediction results and do not unnecessarily occupy processing resources. Removal of the pixel values from the pipeline includes pixels values associated with pixels in the convex polygonal prediction area. Pixel shading is performed on the remaining pixels.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the field of graphics processing.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems facilitate increased productivity and cost reduction in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Electronic systems designed to produce these results usually involve interfacing with a user and the interfacing often involves presenting graphical representation of images. Displaying graphics images usually requires intensive data processing which traditionally takes considerable time to process and often consumes significant power.[0003]Computer graphics systems typically uti...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Displaying graphics images usually requires intensive data processing which traditionally takes considerable time to process and often consumes significant power.

Providing information for each pixel is very data intensive and consumes a significant amount of processing resources.

These manipulations often involve numerous computational processes that take a relatively long time to complete.

In addition, the processing consumes significant power and can be a significant drain on limited power supplies, such as a battery.

Slow rendering rates often result in undesirable choppy or “jerky” presentations which usually results in a user experience that is non-immersive and unpleasant.

The rate at which graphics systems can render images is often limited by the rate at which the processing devices can process the graphics information.

However, user's tend to have ever increasing demands for ever more spectacular and clearer images with better resolutions.

As more information associated with sophisticated applications and complex image rending is fed into traditional graphics pipelines the time required to process all the information increases since the graphics processing capabilities of the graphics systems typically have an upper limit.

In addition, accessing the increased amounts of information also increases the time involved in retrieving the information from various memories.

The increases in time to perform processing and information accesses typically slows the rendering rate and adversely impacts the graphics presentation.