Claims
- 1. A method for a computer system comprises:
receiving a geometric description of an object to be rendered in a first image and a second image; and performing a plurality of rendering operations for the object for the first image and for the second image, wherein the plurality of rendering operations includes a first plurality of rendering operations and at least a second rendering operation, wherein the second rendering operation for the object for the first image and the second rendering operation for the object for the second image are substantially similar, wherein the first plurality of rendering operations is performed for the object for the first image, wherein the first plurality of rendering operations is performed for the object for the second image, and wherein the second rendering operation is performed once for the object for both the first image and for the second image.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second rendering operation comprises an operation selected from the group: vertex displacement operation, object dicing operation, texturing operation.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the geometric description of the object is performed once for both the first image and for the second image.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein receiving the geometric description of the object comprises:
receiving a first geometric description of the object from memory; and procedurally generating the geometric description of the object in response to the first geometric description of the object.
- 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a geometric description of another object to be rendered in the first image and the second image; and performing a plurality of rendering operations for the other object for the first image and for the second image, wherein the plurality of rendering operations includes a first plurality of rendering operations and at least a second rendering operation, wherein the second rendering operation for the other object for the first image and the second rendering operation for the other object for the second image are substantially similar, wherein the first plurality of rendering operations is performed for the other object for the first image, wherein the first plurality of rendering operations is performed for the other object for the second image, and wherein the second rendering operation is performed once for the other object for both the first image and for the second image; wherein at least one instruction from the first plurality of rendering operations performed for the object for the first image is also included in the second plurality of rendering operations performed for the other object for the first image.
- 6. A tangible media storing the first image including the object rendered according to the method described in claim 1.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of rendering operations comprises operations selected from the group: visibility determination operations, ray tracing operations.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of rendering operations comprises a plurality of shading operations responsive to illumination selected from the group: diffuse illumination, specular illumination, highlighting illumination.
- 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second rendering operation comprises a plurality of shading operations responsive to ambient illumination.
- 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second rendering operation is performed in relation to rendering operations within the first plurality of rendering operations for the object in the first image in a manner selected from the group: before, after, between.
- 11. The method of claim 10wherein a third rendering operation for the object for the first image and the second rendering operation for the object for the second image are substantially similar; wherein the third rendering operation is performed once for both the first image and for the second image; and wherein the third rendering operation performed in relation to the rendering operations with the first plurality of rendering operations for the object in the first image in a manner selected from the group: before, after, between.
- 12. A method for rendering a plurality of objects in a plurality of images comprises:
rendering a first object from the plurality of objects for each image from the plurality of images, wherein rendering the first object comprises a first group of rendering operations that are performed for the first object for each image from the plurality of images, and a second group of rendering operations that are performed once for the first object for more than one image from the plurality of images.
- 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
after rendering the first object from the plurality of objects for each image from the plurality of images, rendering a second object from the plurality of objects for each image from the plurality of images, wherein rendering the second object comprises a first group of rendering operations that are performed for the second object for each image from the plurality of images, and a second group of rendering operations that are performed once for the second object for more than one image from the plurality of images.
- 14. The method of claim 12wherein the plurality of images comprise N images; wherein the second group of rendering operations for the first object are performed M times; wherein 1≦M<N.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first group of rendering operations are selected from the group of operations including: visibility operations, ray trace operations.
- 16. The method of claim 14 wherein the second group of rendering operations are selected from the group of operations including: dicing operations, texture mapping operations, displacement operations.
- 17. The method of claim 13 wherein the second group of rendering operations are selected from the group of operations including: geometric data retrieval, procedural geometric data generation.
- 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first group of rendering operations are selected from the group of shading operations including: specular illumination shading, highlight illumination shading, diffuse illumination shading, ambient illumination shading.
- 19. The method of claim 13 wherein the second group of rendering operations are selected from the group of shading operations including: specular illumination shading, highlight illumination shading, diffuse illumination shading, ambient illumination shading.
- 20. Media storing the plurality of images including the object rendered according to the method described in claim 13.
- 21. The method of claim 19 further comprising outputting the plurality of images.
- 22. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one rendering operation from the second group of rendering operations is performed with respect to at least one rendering operation from the first group of rendering operations in a manner selected from the group: before, after.
- 23. The method of claim 13 wherein a rendering operation is included in both in the second group of rendering operations that are performed once for the first object and the first group of rendering operations that are performed for the second object for each image from the plurality of images.
- 24. A computer system for rendering a plurality of objects in a plurality of images comprises:
a memory configured to store the plurality of images comprising N images; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform a first group of rendering operations for a first object from the plurality of objects N times, once for each image from the plurality of images, wherein the processor is also configured to perform a second group of rendering operations for the first object from the plurality of object M times, for the plurality of images, wherein M<N.
- 25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein the processor is also configured to perform a first group of rendering operations for a second object from the plurality of objects N times, once for each image from the plurality of images, after performing the first group of rendering operations for the first object.
- 26. The computer system of claim 24 wherein 1≦M<N.
- 27. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the first group of rendering operations are selected from the group of operations: visibility operations, ray trace operations.
- 28. The computer system of claim 27 wherein the second group of rendering operations are selected from the group of operations: geometric dicing operations, texture mapping operations, geometric displacement operations.
- 29. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the second group of rendering operations are selected from the group of operations: geometric data retrieval of the first object, procedural geometric data generation of the first object.
- 30. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the first group of rendering operations are selected from the group of shading operations: specular shading, highlight shading, diffuse shading, ambient shading.
- 31. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the second group of rendering operations are selected from the group of shading operations: specular shading, highlight shading, diffuse shading, ambient shading.
- 32. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the processor is configured to spawn a separate process for each rendering operation from the first group of rendering operations for a first object.
- 33. The computer system of claim 32 wherein the separate process for each rendering operation from the first group of rendering operations are processes selected from the group: concurrent processes, parallel processes.
- 34. The computer system of claim 24 at least one rendering operation is common to both the first group of rendering operations for the first object and the first group of rendering operations for the second object.
- 35. The computer system of claim 24wherein a first rendering operation from the first group of rendering operations for the first object are performed in relation to a first rendering operation from the second group of rendering operations for the first object in a manner selected from the group: before, after; and wherein a second rendering operation from the first group of rendering operations for the first object are performed in relation to at the first rendering operation from the second group of rendering operations for the first object in a manner selected from the group: before, after; and wherein a second rendering operation from the second group of rendering operations for the first object are performed in relation to at the second rendering operation from the first group of rendering operations for the first object in a manner selected from the group: before, after.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention is related to and incorporates by reference for all purposes the following co-pending patent application Shot Shading Method and Apparatus, Attorney Docket. No. 021751-000100US, filed ______.