Texture Sharing via Virtual Device in Graphics Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing simulation systems face challenges in dynamically incorporating custom imagery due to constraints imposed by interface libraries, making it difficult to modify or integrate external imagery without modifying the entire system.
Innovation Solution
The integration of real-time external imagery is facilitated by allowing multiple applications to share textures in a graphics module, using a virtual device with a texture reference and render states, enabling the primary application to manage and restore render states, and direct the graphics module to generate a final scene without copying textures between memory, thus maintaining high framerates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If interface libraries impose constraints to prevent system faults from arbitrary use of graphics module by multiple applications, then system reliability is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual device as an intermediary layer between multiple applications and the graphics module. This virtual device manages texture sharing and render state coordination, allowing multiple applications to safely access the graphics module without causing system faults. The virtual device acts as a mediator that enforces proper access protocols while enabling flexible texture sharing capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom imagery is integrated into simulation system by modifying the entire system, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the simulation system into independent components: the primary application, external application modules, and the virtual device. Custom imagery can be integrated by simply adding or modifying external application modules that share textures through the virtual device, without requiring modifications to the core simulation system. This modular approach enables adaptability while maintaining system simplicity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If textures are copied between memory to integrate external imagery, then adaptability is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the texture memory of multiple applications into a shared graphics memory space managed by the virtual device. Instead of copying textures between separate memory spaces, multiple applications directly share textures through the unified graphics memory, eliminating copy operations and maintaining high framerate performance while enabling flexible imagery integration.
Data Source
AI summary
Texture sharing in a graphics memory is disclosed. A primary application establishes a virtual device for interaction with a graphics module. The virtual device includes a texture reference that refers to a render target texture in a graphics memory of the graphics module, and multiple render states, the render states having corresponding render state values. The plurality of render state values is saved in a memory in association with the corresponding render states. An external application module is invoked and provided a virtual device reference to the virtual device. Upon a return of the external application module, the plurality of render states are restored to the corresponding render state values. The graphics module is directed to generate a final scene in a final scene buffer in the memory in the graphics module using the render target texture.