Indexed Value Blending for High-Resolution Image Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for rendering high-resolution digital images are memory-intensive and inflexible, leading to increased application size and bandwidth costs, and do not allow for easy customization of material properties like color or texture maps.
Innovation Solution
The use of indexed value blending (IVB) to generate material property values such as color or texture values in a memory-efficient manner, allowing for high-fidelity image rendering at any resolution with minimal memory overhead, by defining an array of material property values and using linear interpolation to compute blended values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the size of the underlying image or texture map is increased to achieve high-resolution rendering, then the image detail and resolution are improved, but the memory consumption and application size increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the texture map into multiple lower-resolution tiles or patches that can be independently stored and processed. Instead of loading one large high-resolution texture map into memory, the system divides it into smaller manageable segments that are loaded on-demand, reducing peak memory consumption while maintaining the ability to render at high resolutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where multiple levels of texture maps are organized hierarchically. Lower-resolution versions are embedded within or alongside higher-resolution versions, allowing the system to navigate through different resolution levels and load only the necessary detail for the current viewing distance, thereby reducing memory usage while preserving high-resolution capability when needed.
2Ease of operation
If conventional material property maps are used, then the rendering process is simple, but artists cannot quickly and easily alter the palette of properties without external programs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables artists to directly edit and adjust material property palettes within the game engine's own material editor interface. The system provides built-in tools that allow self-service modification of color maps, texture parameters, and other material properties without requiring external painting or editing programs, making the workflow self-contained and more accessible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal material editing system that handles multiple types of material properties (color, texture, lighting, etc.) through a single integrated interface. This multi-functional editor can manipulate various property types consistently, allowing artists to work with different material attributes using the same tools within the engine, rather than requiring specialized external software for each property type.
3Measurement precision
If high-resolution texture maps are created to improve image detail, then the perceived quality is enhanced, but the bandwidth cost and download time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by loading and rendering high-resolution texture details only in the specific regions of the image that are currently visible or likely to be viewed. Instead of downloading and storing entire high-resolution texture maps, the system selectively loads detailed texture data for local areas based on camera position, view angle, and importance, reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining perceived quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-processing and compressing texture maps into optimized formats and resolutions before deployment. The system prepares multiple pre-scaled versions and pre-identified important regions, allowing the rendering engine to quickly select and load only the necessary pre-prepared assets, thereby reducing download time and bandwidth usage while maintaining image detail quality.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosed technology use an indexed value blending approach to compute blended values between two fixed values from a palette of base values. In one example, the disclosed technology uses a parameterized array that defines the available colors of a color palette and also orders those values so that any two values that are to be blended are located adjacent to (consecutively with) one another within the array. The array can be efficiently used to compute the necessary input values for a linear interpolation that then computes the desired blended value. For instance, the array can be used to identify a first color value and a second color value to be blended in an interpolation process as well as the degree of blending between the two (e.g., a blending control value (or alpha value)).