Texel Shader Dispatch Circuitry for Procedural Texture Coherency
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Solution Overview
Problem
In procedural texture generation, modern GPUs face inefficiencies due to redundant processing caused by the synchronous execution of Texel Shaders, leading to high arithmetic costs, power consumption, and bandwidth usage, especially in applications like high-resolution displays and virtual/augmented reality where many pixels require frequent shading.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Adaptive Multi-Frequency Shading (AMFS) with Texel Shader dispatch circuitry that maintains cache coherency between units, allowing parallel execution and efficient communication to reduce redundant shading by mapping output pixels to groups of texels and reusing previously shaded texels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If synchronous execution of Texel Shaders is implemented to ensure consistent processing, then processing reliability is improved, but processing time and productivity deteriorate due to redundant shading operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a cache mechanism that stores previously shaded texel values before they are needed again. When a texel is shaded, its result is cached and can be reused by subsequent Texel Shader operations, eliminating redundant shading while maintaining processing consistency through controlled asynchronous execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces selective caching where only frequently accessed or previously shaded texels are cached locally in the Texel Shader cache. This local quality enhancement allows different texels to have different processing strategies - some are cached and reused, others are shaded fresh - optimizing both reliability and productivity locally.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple pixels require frequent shading in high-resolution displays, then image quality is improved, but power consumption and energy usage worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers previously computed texel shading results by storing them in a cache. Instead of discarding these computational results after single-use, the system recovers and reuses them for subsequent pixels that reference the same texels, significantly reducing power consumption while maintaining high image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates cached copies of shaded texel values that can be referenced by multiple pixels. Rather than performing the expensive shading operation repeatedly, the system copies the result once and distributes it to all pixels that need it, reducing energy usage while preserving image quality.
3Productivity
If parallel execution of Texel Shaders is implemented to increase throughput, then productivity is improved, but cache coherency and data consistency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cache coherence mechanism that acts as an intermediary between parallel Texel Shader executions and the cache memory. This intermediary ensures that when multiple shaders access or modify cached texel values, the cache remains coherent and consistent, allowing parallel execution without sacrificing data reliability.
4Reliability
If redundant shading operations are performed to ensure complete processing, then processing completeness is improved, but bandwidth usage and resource consumption worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary caching of texel values before they are needed by subsequent processing stages. By pre-storing these values in the Texel Shader cache, the system ensures processing completeness is maintained while avoiding redundant bandwidth consumption from re-fetching or re-shading the same data.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for avoiding additional processing during generation of a procedural texture are disclosed. In one embodiment, a graphics processor includes memory to store graphics data and control data of a procedural texture. A texel shader dispatch circuitry is coupled to the memory. The texel shader dispatch circuitry is configured to maintain coherency between local memory of the texel shader dispatch circuitry during generation of the procedural texture via communication with the procedural texture to avoid overshading.