Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6476808
-
Patent Number
6,476,808
-
Date Filed
Thursday, October 14, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, November 5, 200221 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 345 419
- 345 420
- 345 421
- 345 422
- 345 619
- 345 620
- 345 621
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A token-based buffer system for a geometry pipeline in three-dimensional graphics comprises: a buffer control initialization (BCI) unit, a new token or index module, a geometry control pipeline, a vertex buffer, and a processing engine. The token-based buffer system provides a shared resource environment in which tokens are assigned for blocks of data. Each block of data includes that data necessary for each unit or stage in the geometry pipeline to perform its computation. The use of tokens is advantageous because it optimizes the storage efficiency for storing the blocks of data and ensures the correctness of the data as it is passed between stages.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer graphics. In particular to systems and method for generating and rendering images in three-dimensional graphics. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for managing buffer space using tokens for a geometry pipeline of a graphics subsystem.
2. Description of the Background Art
Graphics systems and processors are well known in the art. There has been an increasing demand for graphics that are more realistic. The prior art has attempted to satisfy this demand with graphics systems that for render three-dimensional objects. The rendering of three-dimensional objects requires a greater number of computations and transformations such as shading, lighting, projection, perspective and texturing. However, one problem in the prior art is providing enough computational power and storage area to perform graphics operations. The computational requirement for such computation has increased as the number of bit per pixel has increased. This is particularly a problem in the manufacture of graphics controllers that are often formed on a single chip, and therefore, are limited in the storage area and processing power available.
Graphics processing for rendering three-dimensional objects includes a number of steps. By way of example,
FIG. 1
shows a prior art pipeline for processing graphics computations required for rendering three-dimensional objects. This is generally referred to as a geometry pipeline in the art. The geometry pipeline preferably has a number of stages or units each of which performs a different type of processing. As shown in
FIG. 1
, a typical prior art geometry pipeline
100
includes: a model view transformation unit
102
, a lighting unit
104
, a projection unit
106
, a clipping unit
108
, a perspective transform unit
110
, a triangle rendering unit
112
, and a pixel rendering unit
114
. Each of these units
102
-
114
performs conventional graphics operations such as disclosed by Foley, van Dam, et al in
Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice
, 1996. Exemplary prior art graphics controllers performing similar operations include the ViRGE graphics controller, manufactured and sold by S
3
Incorporated of Santa Clara, Calif.
One particular problem with the prior art is the amount of storage required to perform these operations. Since each unit
102
-
114
in the geometry pipeline
100
may perform its operations at a different rate, and also because each unit
102
-
114
cannot begin processing until the previous unit
102
-
114
has completed its processing, the prior art is forced to include a series of buffers at the end of each unit
102
-
114
. These buffers are shown with shading and denoted with reference numerals
116
. However, these buffers are nearly always under utilized because in only the rarest of cases with every buffer for each unit
102
-
114
be filled. More commonly, buffers of one or two units
102
-
114
that are filled. However, the prior art requires these buffers that consume precious space storage space. Thus, the use of such buffers and the need to move data between the units
102
-
114
consumes a lot of bandwidth and resources. Therefore, there is a need for a system that is able to reduce the amount of storage space, and thereby reduce the amount of chip area required for graphics processing for rendering three-dimensional objects.
Yet another problem in the prior art is that while not all the data is needed for each stage of the pipeline, it must be moved to each successive stage and storage for the data is required at each successive stage. Therefore, the prior art unnecessarily moves data between stages that is not needed for operations in those stages. For example, even though color data and texture coordinates are not needed for the model view transformation, color data is provided to the prior art model view transformation unit. This is a particular problem when the data necessary for storing texture information is considered. Especially, for multi-texture environments, the problem of having to move and storing so much unused data can be a serious problem. Therefore, a system and method that can reduce the amount of data transferred in a geometry pipeline is needed.
Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods for organizing and managing the data used by a geometry pipeline in processing graphics data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies and limitations of the prior art with a token-based buffer system and method for a geometry pipeline in three-dimensional graphics. The token-based buffer system preferably comprises: a buffer control initialization (BCI) unit, a new token or index module, a geometry control pipeline, a vertex buffer, and a processing engine. The token-based buffer system provides a shared resource environment in which tokens are assigned for blocks of data. Each block of data includes that data necessary for each unit or stage in the geometry pipeline to perform its computation. The use of tokens is advantageous because it optimizes the storage efficiency for storing the blocks of data and ensures the correctness of the data as it is passed between stages.
The vertex buffer provides a storage area of predetermined sized for storing data. The vertex buffer preferably has a plurality of storage locations, each of the storage locations associated with a respective token. For each token there are a plurality of storage locations for storing different fields and data need for the different processing stages of the pipeline. The vertex buffer is preferably a shared resource that is used by different stages of the geometry pipeline and the processing engine. Thus, the present invention provides increased storage efficiency in storing the data used by the geometry pipeline.
The BCI unit is coupled to receive data and requests for processing. In response, the BCI unit stores data in the vertex buffer, secures a token for the data, and sends the token to the geometry control pipeline for the appropriate processing. The token provides an index or reference to the location in the vertex buffer where the data block has been stored. The token also has reference to empty fields where information from processing can be stored. The token or index module manages buffer capacity and provides a token to the next available portion in the vertex buffer, or if there is no additional capacity, indicates such. The token or index module is coupled to the BCI unit for getting the next available token, and to the geometry control pipeline for releasing a token for re-use after all processing for that token has been completed.
The geometry control pipeline is coupled to receive a token and processes the token through each stage of the geometry pipeline. The geometry control pipeline is also coupled to the vertex buffer and the processing engine. The geometry control pipeline is coupled to the vertex buffer to retrieve data and provide it to the processing engine. The geometry control pipeline is coupled to the processing engine to sent control signals to the processing engine to specify the operation that that the processing engine should perform with the data. One particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is that the token and geometry control pipeline allow the operations to be performed in parallel. For example, the geometry control pipeline permits the lighting transformation to be done in parallel with the projection transformation and the perspective transformation. Thus, the present invention provides a system that can reduce the amount of data that must be transferred in processing three-dimensional graphics objects. These and other features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by considering the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the course of this description, reference will frequently be made to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a geometry pipeline of the prior art.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of a computer system including the graphics system of the present invention.
FIG. 3
is a block diagram of the graphics unit of the present invention.
FIG. 4
is a high-level block diagram of a first embodiment of the graphics engine of the present invention.
FIG. 5A
is a block diagram of a second and preferred embodiment of the graphics engine of the present invention.
FIG. 5B
is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the graphics engine of the present invention.
FIG. 6A
is a block diagram showing the processing of tokens according to second and preferred embodiment of the graphics engine, and the units that the ratio engine can be configured as under direction of the geometry pipeline.
FIG. 6B
is a block diagram showing the processing of tokens according to third embodiment of the graphics engine, and the units that the ratio engine can be configured as under direction of the geometry pipeline.
FIG. 7A
is a diagram showing a first embodiment for a data block in the vertex buffer of the present invention.
FIG. 7B
is a diagram showing a second embodiment for the data block in the vertex buffer of the present invention.
FIG. 8
is a diagram showing a preferred embodiment for a vertex buffer of the present invention.
FIG. 9
is a flow chart of a method for processing of vertex data using the token-based management scheme of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In order to place the present invention in proper perspective, the general computer system
200
in which the invention operates will first be described.
FIG. 2
shows a block diagram of a computer system
200
including the graphics system
206
of the present invention. The computer system
200
preferably comprises a central processing unit or processor
202
that connects with a memory
204
and a graphics controller
206
in a von Neuman type architecture via a bus
220
such as a personal or mini computer. The graphics controller
206
couples the bus
220
to the frame buffer
208
and a display device
210
. The system
200
may include a data storage device, an input device and network interface (all not shown). The processor
202
is preferably a microprocessor such as Intel Pentium III or PowerPC; the output device
604
is preferably a video monitor; and the input device is preferably a keyboard and mouse-type controller. The memory
204
preferably includes random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The processor
602
operates under the control of the memory
204
to process the transactions and interaction as will be described in more detail below.
The graphics controller
206
includes a graphics unit
212
and a display engine
214
. The graphics unit
212
is coupled to the system bus
220
for communication with the processor
202
. The graphics unit
212
is coupled by line
222
to the frame buffer
208
for retrieving and storing data in the frame buffer
208
. The graphics unit
212
processes graphic primitives received from the processor
202
and renders the primitives to the frame buffer
208
. The graphics unit
212
includes a graphics engine (
304
in
FIG. 3
) as will be described in more detail below in addition to a VGA engine (not shown) and an LPB engine for processing real-time video (not shown). For convenience and ease of understanding only the relevant portions of the graphics unit
212
will be described below focusing primarily on the graphics engine
304
. The frame buffer
208
is also coupled to the display device
210
by the display engine
214
of the graphics controller
206
. The display engine
214
is of a conventional type such as in ViRGE graphic controller chip manufactured and sold by S
3
Incorporated, and includes a display FIFO, a streams processor, a RAMDAC, color look up table, and mask registers and other circuitry for converting the pixels output by the frame buffer
208
into an analog signals provided to the display device
210
.
Referring now to
FIG. 3
, the graphics unit
212
of the present invention is shown in more detail. The graphics unit
212
preferably comprises a bus interface unit
304
, a graphics engine
304
and a memory interface unit
306
. The bus interface unit
304
provides for communication over the system bus
220
consistent with the bus protocol in use. The bus interface unit
304
sends data to the processor
202
and receives data and commands from the processor
202
that in turn are provided as input to the graphic engine
304
. Basically, the bus interface unit
304
enables the communication between the processor
202
with graphics engine
304
. The bus interface unit
302
is of a conventional type as known to those skilled in the art and currently in use in other graphic controllers such as the one identified above. The output of the bus interface unit
302
is provided on line
310
to the graphics engine
304
.
The graphics engine
304
, as has been described above, processes graphic primitives and renders the primitives to the frame buffer
208
in the form of pixels. Different embodiments for the graphics engine
304
are described with particularity below with reference to
FIGS. 4
,
5
A and
5
B. The graphics engine
304
provides its output on line
312
.
The memory interface unit
306
is of a conventional type and includes latches and other control logic for communicating with the frame buffer
208
. The memory interface provides for the storage and retrieval of data from and to the frame buffer
208
. Those skilled in the art will recognize that memory interface unit
306
may take a variety of forms depending on the type and size of devices use for the frame buffer
208
.
Referring now to
FIG. 4
, the graphics engine
304
in accordance with the present invention is shown in more detail.
FIG. 4
shows a high-level block diagram of a first embodiment of the graphics engine
304
a
of the present invention. In this embodiment, each of the units
402
,
404
,
406
,
408
,
410
,
412
and
414
are assumed to be dedicated hardware units. The present invention provides a system in which rather than passing the data need for each unit
402
,
404
,
406
,
408
,
410
,
412
and
414
to perform its operation, the system passes a token or index to the data. For description of the present invention these terms are used interchangeably and treated as the same. This is advantageous because it reduces the bandwidth and storage required for passing data from unit to unit. Yet another advantage of using tokens, is that it allows entry into the graphic engine
304
(or geometry sub-system) at any point before or after one of the units, in contrast to the prior art that permitted data to be input to the graphics engine only as input to the model view transformation unit. However,
FIG. 4
is also provided to illustrate a second novel aspect of the present invention, namely, that because of the use of tokens, the present invention also allows different units or stages of the geometry pipeline to operate in parallel.
The first embodiment of the graphics engine
304
preferably includes a model view transformation unit
402
, a clipping unit
404
, a projection unit
406
, a perspective transformation unit
408
, a lighting unit
410
, a triangle rendering unit
412
and a pixel rendering unit
414
. The model view transformation unit
402
, the clipping unit
404
, the projection unit
406
, the perspective transformation unit
408
, the lighting unit
410
, the triangle rendering unit
412
and the pixel rendering unit
414
each perform operations of a conventional nature as will be known to those skilled in the art. Such operations are described in Foley, van Dam, et al in
Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice
, 1996 at page 866 et. seq., and therefore, will not be fully discussed here. Each of the units
402
,
404
,
406
,
408
,
410
,
412
and
414
will be discussed primarily with regard to its coupling provided by the use of tokens and differences from conventional method for performing theses operations.
In the preferred embodiment, the model view transformation unit
402
has an input coupled to line
310
to receive commands and data from the bus interface unit
304
. The model view transformation unit
402
preferably receive graphics primitives in model or world space (Xo, Yo, Zo, Wo), and translates them into eye space (Xe, Ye, Ze, We). The output of the model view transformation unit
402
is preferably coupled to input of the clipping unit
404
.
In the preferred embodiment, clipping is performed in two stages. The clipping unit
404
performs only Z (near or far) clipping and does so in eye space. The clipping unit
404
performs clipping using any one of the conventional algorithms. The new vertex parameters are preferably interpolated in the case of clipping and new triangles are generated as in the traditional clipping algorithms. The output of the clipping unit
404
is provided to both the projection unit
406
and the lighting unit
410
. Because of the use of tokens, the same token is sent to the projection unit
406
and the lighting unit
410
, even though each unit
406
,
410
uses a different portion of the data structure referenced by the token. The eye space vertex coordinates from the clipping unit
404
are provided to and used by the lighting unit
410
, while the entire vertex and data structure are provided to the projection unit
406
for additional processing.
The projection unit
406
is coupled to the output of the clipping unit
404
. The projection unit
406
performs a projective transform on the vertices to convert them from eye space (Xe, Ye, Ze, We) to clip space (Xc, Yc, Zc, Wc). This is performed in a conventional manner. The output of the projection unit
406
is provided to the perspective transformation unit
408
.
The perspective transformation unit
408
receives the token and performs a perspective divide and view-port transform on the vertex reference by the token. The perspective transformation unit
408
preferably operates in a conventional manner on the vertex data consistent with traditional algorithms. The perspective transformation unit
408
converts the vertex from clip space (Xc, Yc, Zc, Wc) to screen space (Xs, Ys, Zs, Ws). The output of the perspective transformation unit
408
is coupled to the triangle rendering unit
412
.
As noted above, the lighting unit
410
preferably operates in parallel with the projection unit
406
and the perspective transformation unit
408
. The present invention is particularly advantageous because this allows the present invention to reduce the latency in the geometry pipeline compared to the prior art. The lighting unit
410
provides shading using any one of the conventional algorithms such as Gouraud or Phong. Although not shown in
FIG. 4
, the lighting unit
410
includes its own normal matrix transformation unit that will transform the vertex normal from either model or world space to the eye space where the lighting computation is performed. In an alternate embodiment, the lighting unit
410
can be by passed or supplied with vertex color which can then be added to the computed color. The output of the lighting unit
410
is provided to the triangle rendering unit
412
.
The triangle rendering unit
412
receives input from both the lighting unit
410
and the perspective transformation unit
408
. The lighting unit
410
provides the vertex color and the perspective transformation unit
408
provides the view coordinates. The triangle rendering unit
412
performs the x and y clipping. It was noted above that clipping was divided into two steps. This is the second of those steps. The x and y clipping is preferably performed in screen space and is part of the rasterization process. The output of the triangle rendering unit
412
is provided to the pixel rendering unit
414
. The pixel rendering unit
414
generates the pixels from the primitive data from the triangle rendering unit
412
and stores the data in the frame buffer
208
.
The present invention is particularly advantageous because each unit
402
,
404
,
406
,
408
,
410
,
412
and
414
provides an entry point to the graphics engine
304
a
or geometry pipeline. In other words, each block in the graphics engine
340
a
represents a possible entry point for processing. For example, the processor
202
may perform the model view transformation and provide the data in eye space directly as input to the clipping unit
404
. From that point on the graphics engine
304
a
would process the data through to storage in the frame buffer
208
. Thus, at any point before one of the different units
402
,
404
,
406
,
408
,
410
,
412
and
414
, the graphics driver or software could load balance between the processor
202
and the graphics controller
206
. This is particularly advantageous because it allows the graphics unit
212
to load balance with the processor
202
depending on the processing being done by each.
FIG. 5A
illustrates a block diagram of a second and preferred embodiment of the graphics engine
304
b
of the present invention.
FIG. 5A
shows the preferred embodiment of the present invention from a hardware perspective. The operation of this hardware will be described below with reference to FIG.
6
A. Therefore, we will focus here on the function performed by each component and the coupling of each component to other components in FIG.
5
A. The second embodiment of the graphics engine
304
b
preferably comprises: a buffer control initialization (BCI) unit
502
, a geometry control pipeline
504
a
, a vertex buffer
506
, a new index module
510
, a set of index multiplexers
512
, a request arbiter
514
and a ratio engine
516
.
The buffer control initialization (BCI) unit
502
is coupled to line
310
to receive input from the bus interface unit
302
. The BCI unit
502
is responsible for assigning incoming vertex data a token and initializing the processing of the vertex data. The BCI unit
502
is also responsible for controlling the storage of the data in the vertex buffer
506
. The present invention advantageously used the index address to the vertex buffer
506
as the token. Thus, the BCI unit
502
is coupled to the vertex buffer
506
to provide data and control signals. The BCI unit
502
initiates the processing of a token by the geometry control pipeline
504
a
, by passing the token along with a command to the geometry control pipeline
504
a
. In this manner, the BCI unit
502
can have the geometry control pipeline
504
a
begin processing the token at any one of the units identified and described with reference to FIG.
4
. The BCI unit
502
is coupled to the geometry control pipeline
504
a
, for this purpose. The BCI unit
502
is also coupled to the new index module
510
to determine the next available index or token, if there is one.
The geometry control pipeline
504
a
controls the transfer of data from the vertex buffer
506
to the ratio engine
516
, and vice versa. The geometry control pipeline
504
a
is coupled to the address inputs of the vertex buffer
506
by index multiplexers
512
so that the data desired will be output by the vertex buffer
506
. The index multiplexers
512
are also controlled in part by the request arbiter
514
as will be described below. Because of the above coupling, the geometry control pipeline
504
a
can apply a given token to the vertex buffer
506
via the index multiplexers
512
. This will result in the vertex data corresponding to the token to be output by the vertex buffer
506
and applied to the inputs of the ratio engine
516
. The geometry control pipeline
504
a
also controls the operation that will be performed by the ratio engine
516
. In particular, the geometry control pipeline
504
a
has its control outputs coupled to the ratio engine
516
. This allows the geometry control pipeline
504
a
to controls the ratio engine
516
such that it is configured to perform the calculation or operation desired. The geometry control pipeline
504
a
is also coupled to the new index module
510
to receive a new token or index assigned to data in conjunction with the BCI unit
502
.
The vertex buffer
506
is preferably a storage area having predefined fields for storing vertex data. In an exemplary embodiment, the vertex buffer
506
is a 64×128 1R1W Megacell, although it could be any type of memory device. For example, each entry has the format NxNyNzCdCs of 127 bits where the NxNyNz format is 1.8.12 and Cd and Cs are each 32 bits. In such an embodiment, each vertex will require four locations, and therefore, the vertex buffer
506
would be capable of holding 16 vertices. However, those skilled in the art will realize that the vertex buffer
506
may have any of various sizes in terms of bit width as well as number of entries. Referring also now to
FIG. 8
, the exemplary embodiment of the vertex buffer
506
will be described. In the preferred embodiment, the vertex buffer
506
has a first group of entries reserved for difficult computational cases, a second group of entries reserved for storage of newly generated clipping vertices, and a third group of entries that are freely allocable and usable by any of the different stages. In the exemplary embodiment, the vertex buffer
506
has
16
entries. Of the sixteen entries one is preferably reserved to for a fan starting vertex. One entry (entry
11
) is reserved for this case since it is particularly difficult to handle separately. Four additional entries (entries
12
-
15
) are reserved as insertion entries for triangle vertices that may need to be added during a clipping operation. The use of these dedicated insertion entries will be described below with reference to the clipping operation and
FIGS. 6A and 6B
.
The new index module
510
is responsible for tracking tokens. Since the vertex buffer
506
is of limited size, only a predetermined number of tokens may exist at a given instant. The new index module
510
tracks how many tokens are available and provides the next available token upon request. In an exemplary embodiment, the new index module
510
is a pair of counters. The counters may be thought of as the read and write pointers to a FIFO. Upon reset, the read counter is set to zero and the write counter is set to n, where n is the number of tokens or entries provided by the vertex buffer
506
. In the example vertex buffer
506
described above n would equal 10. The range of the counter is from 0 to 10 since only eleven entries of the vertex buffer
506
are allocated for vertices. Five entries of the vertex buffer
506
are reserved, one (entry
11
) for the fan starting vertex and the other four (
12
,
13
and
14
,
15
in a double buffered manner) for the extra vertices generated from clipping. The communication between the BCI unit
502
and the new index module
510
is the same as interfacing with a FIFO. The read counter is read s the new index, and is advanced by one when a new token is allocated. The write counter would be advanced by one when a token is released by the triangle rendering unit (see discussion below) after the processing associated with that token is complete. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the counters must be advanced properly to ensure operation because of the wrap around condition when both counters reach 10. Furthermore, the present invention advantageously uses the same constraints on the counter whether the token represents a line or a triangle, thereby making the hardware architecture unified and simple.
The request arbiter
514
is also coupled to the geometry control pipeline
504
a
and the index multiplexers. If there is a conflict between use by a particular stage in the geometry control pipeline
504
a
of a particular index or token, this conflict is resolved by the request arbiter
514
. The request arbiter
514
preferably does so on a priority basis. The first stage in the geometry control pipeline
504
a
is provided with the highest priority by the request arbiter
514
. The next stage is provided by the next highest priority, and so complete as soon as possible and that there will be no points where the pipeline stalls. Since the first stage in the geometry control pipeline
504
a
must be completed before the others, and so on, this will ensure that each stage will get the vertices in an orderly manner.
Finally, the ratio engine
516
is provided to perform the calculations specified by the geometry control pipeline
504
a
with data from the vertex buffer
506
. The ratio engine
516
is preferably an arithmetic logic unit adapted for the processing that must be performed by a geometry pipeline
504
a
. On such exemplary embodiment for a ratio engine
516
is disclosed in commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/371,972, filed Aug. 10, 1999, entitled “System And Method For Rasterizing Primitives Using Direct Interpolation” by Konstantine lourcha, et. al which is incorporated herein by reference. Yet another exemplary embodiment for the ratio engine
516
is disclosed in commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/418,673 filed Oct. 14, 1999, entitled “Direct Evaluation Of Multi-Pixel Multi-Texture Rendering” by Dong-Ying Kuo and Michael Hong which is incorporated herein by reference. It should be understood that the ratio engine
516
and the vertex buffer
506
are coupled so that the ratio engine
516
can not only receive data from the vertex buffer
506
, but also store output data back to the vertex buffer
506
.
FIG. 5B
is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the graphics engine
304
c
of the present invention. This embodiment of the graphics engine
304
c
is similar to the second embodiment of the graphics engine
304
b
. Where appropriate like reference numerals have bee used for like parts that have similar or identical functionality. In addition to components described above with reference to
FIG. 5A
, the third embodiment of the graphics engine
304
c
further comprises a transformation matrix
508
and a lighting engine
518
.
The transformation matrix
508
is used to provide data used by different stages in the geometry pipeline
504
b
. As noted above may of the various stages perform transformations between different spaces. The transformation matrix
508
stores the matrices need to perform those transformations. For example, the transformation matrix
508
may includes two 4×4 matrices and a 5-parameter matrix. The transformation matrix
508
is coupled to the BCI unit
502
to receive the matrices upon initialization. The transformation matrix
508
also has an output coupled to both the ration engine
516
and the lighting engine
518
to provide the matrix data for various computations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the matrix information is required even for the second embodiment of the graphics engine
304
b
, however, it is assumed stored as part of the geometry control pipeline
504
a
as shown in
FIG. 6A
(but not shown in FIG.
5
A).
The lighting engine
518
is provided in the third embodiment of the graphics engine
304
c
. The third embodiment of the graphics engine
304
c
provide an architecture that is truly parallel with regard to the processing of lighting, projection and perspective. The lighting engine
518
is coupled to the geometry control pipeline
504
b
to receive control signals, the vertex buffer
506
to receive data and the transformation matrix to receive matrices. The output of the lighting engine
518
is coupled similar to the ratio engine
516
for either output or storage back in the vertex buffer
506
. The lighting engine
518
is preferably an arithmetic logic unit adapted to perform the calculation for lighting such as various types of illumination, shading and transformations. By adding a separate lighting engine and latches inherent in the engine, the same token can be used to get the data out of the vertex buffer
506
at the same time and process it by the two separate engines
516
,
518
.
Referring now to
FIG. 6A
, the diagram shows the processing of tokens according to second and preferred embodiment of the graphics engine
304
b
, and the units
402
,
404
,
406
,
408
,
410
,
412
and
414
that the ratio engine
516
can be configured as under direction of the geometry control pipeline
504
a
.
FIG. 6A
shows in diagram form the life cycle of a token before it is re-used. In
FIGS. 6A and 6
a
B, the token is shown in the diagram to illustrate how the token is passed between each stage of the geometry control pipeline
504
a.
The process begins with the BCI unit
502
. The BCI unit
502
is responsible for getting the token from the new index module
510
. The BCI unit
502
forms a triangle from a strip, fan, triangle list or quad list. Providing the token in proper format is part of the triangle forming process. The BCI unit
502
receives data and then formats it according to one of two types of data structures, tokens or tags provided by the present invention. Even though both types of tokens provide for three indices only two are used for lines while three are used for triangles.
Referring now also to
FIGS. 7A and 7B
, the preferred embodiments for the two types of tokens are shown. The vertex buffer
506
utilization is managed using a triangle token passing scheme. One type of token, token-I, is used before the clipping stage and the other type of token, token-II is used after the clipping stage.
FIG. 7A
illustrates the token-I. Token-I includes a plurality of different fields, each field being represented by one or more bits. The Token-I
700
includes an E-O-Fan field
702
, a triangle field
704
, a cull flip field
706
, a index-release-count field
708
, an index
0
field
710
, an index
1
field
712
, and an index
2
field
714
. Each of these fields are defined as follows: The E-O-Fan field
702
stores a flag used to release the fan slot of the vertex buffer
506
. This is sent down by the BCI. The triangle field
704
is used to distinguish a vertex from a triangle. A “
1
” indicates that the index
0
field
710
, index
1
field
712
, and index
2
field
714
form a triangle, and a “
0
” indicates that the index
2
field
714
stores a vertex. The cull flip field
706
is used to indicate whether or not the triangle is of the same (“
0
”) or different (“
1
”) orientation as the first triangle in a strip or fan. The index-release-count field
708
is used to advance the write counter in the new index module
510
after exiting the triangle rendering unit
412
. For a strip or fan, this field stores
1
, for a triangle list it stores
3
. The index
0
field
710
, index
1
field
712
, and index
2
field
714
are pointers to the locations in the vertex buffer
506
where the vertex data is stored.
Token-II as shown in
FIG. 7B
has many of the same fields as the first type of token, token-I, however, it also includes the reject field
716
and the clip-index -release field
718
. The reject field
716
is used to indicate that at triangle has been rejected or is outside the boundary of the viewable space. The clip-index -release field
718
is a flag used to release the double-buffered clipped indices. The clipping unit
404
decides which buffer to use. After existing the triangle rendering unit
412
, the flag is used to signal the release of the indices pair.
Referring back to
FIG. 6A
, once the BCI unit
502
has formed a token, it attempts to store the data associated with that token in the vertex buffer
506
. Before writing into the vertex buffer
506
, the BCI unit
502
checks the availability of the new index and any returning data from the ratio engine
516
. Since the ratio engine
516
may store data back to an index for use by later stages, the BCI unit
502
must make sure that both a new index is available and no data is returned from the ratio engine
516
. If this is the case, then the BCI unit
502
stores the data in the vertex buffer
506
, otherwise the BCI unit
502
must wait. Each token or index from the new index module
510
will circulate through the geometry stages and the be released. Thus, the token automatically coordinates the resource utilization among the different stages of the geometry pipeline
504
a.
Once a token has been created, it is passed from the BCI unit
502
and the new index module
510
to the model view transform
402
of the geometry control pipeline
504
a
. It should be noted that the token at this point is preferably a token-I type. Furthermore, it should be understood that the model view transform
402
includes an associated transformation matrix
602
that stores data used by the ratio engine
516
to perform the model view transform
402
. The model view transformation
402
preferably
9
receives graphics primitives in model or world space (Xo, Yo, Zo, Wo), and translates them into eye space (Xe, Ye, Ze, We). The model view transform
402
receives the token. Then the model view transform
402
checks the vertex buffer
506
for the availability of the indices identified in the token. If the data is available, the model view transform
402
performs its operation by configuring the vertex buffer
506
to provide data and the ratio engine
516
to perform the desired operation on the data. The output data from the ratio engine
516
is then stored in the locations specified by the token. The token is then passed to the next stage, in particular to the Z clipping stage
404
.
The Z clipping stage
404
of the geometry control pipeline
504
a
first receives the token. Then the Z clipping stage
404
checks the vertex buffer
506
for the availability of the indices identified in the token. If the data is available, the Z clipping stage
404
performs its operation by configuring the vertex buffer
506
to provide data and the ratio engine
516
to perform the desired operation on the data. The output data from the ratio engine
516
is then stored in the locations specified by the token. The token is also converted to a type II token if reserved clipping entries are used. It should be noted that while the input to the Z clipping stage
404
is a Token-I type, the output of the token is a Token-II type. Since the Z clipping stage
404
, can utilize the additional reserved entries in the vertex buffers, the Z clipping stage
404
passes on a Token-II type to account for use and release of the insertion entries
804
. Also, the Z clipping stage
404
is the one stage that performs operations in triangle mode. The other stages perform their processing in vertex mode. Up to two new vertices may be generated by the Z clipping stage
404
. To avoid complexity, the present invention only performs Z-near or Z-far clipping. If a triangle strides across the Z-near and the Z-far planes, then only the Z-near clipping is performed. The Z-far clipping is then performed during the pixel z-comparison. This stage
404
can also be disabled. If no clipping or clipping is disabled the token is passed through this stage
404
. The Z clipping stage
404
generates new vertex parameters by interpolating in the case of clipping and new triangles using the traditional clipping algorithms. The clipping stage
404
also utilized the insertion entries for clipping
804
as necessary. The diagrams shown in Appendix A list the cases of the generation of extra triangles by the Z clipping stage
404
in which Zn denotes Z-near; and Zf denotes Z-far. For the cases of trivial-accept and trivial-reject, not clipping is necessary and the indices are passed directly to the next stage. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the Z clipping stage
404
must keep track of the clock-wise/counter-clock-wise orientation of the extra triangle such that the culling would be consistent at the culling stage. One bit of information is associated with each triangle to identify the orientation of the triangle and is stored in the field
706
of the token. Once the Z clipping operation.
The token is then passed to the lighting interface
420
to initiate parallel processing. More specifically, the token is passed from the Z clipping stage
404
to the lighting interface
420
. The lighting interface
402
preferably includes buffers and other control logic for (1) sending data to and receiving data from the lighting engine
410
, and for (2) generating a triangle file and providing it to the triangle rendering unit
412
. The lighting interface
420
first receives the token. The lighting interface
420
then checks the vertex buffer
506
for the availability of the indices identified in the token. If the data is available, the data is transferred from the vertex buffer
506
to the lighting interface
420
. The lighting interface
420
preferably retrieves the vertex normal, texture coordinates and color information from the vertex buffer
506
for use by the lighting engine
410
. Once this data is retrieved from the vertex buffer
506
, and stored in the lighting interface
420
, the token is passed on to the token is then passed to the projective transform
406
. It should be understood that the ratio engine
516
can be configured in this embodiment to perform the operation of the lighting engine
410
. The present invention is advantageous because while the lighting engine
410
is processing data provided by the vertex buffer
506
and stored at the lighting interface
420
, additional processing of the token in parallel by the projective transform
406
may be performed. Thus, the processing in the geometry pipeline
504
a continues and is not delayed by light processing. Once the lighting engine
410
has performed its operations on the data, the color data is returned to the lighting interface
420
. The lighting interface
420
then creates a triangle file
608
and stores the color data in the first triangle file
608
. The lighting interface
420
also provides the first triangle file
608
as input to the triangle rendering unit
412
.
As noted above, the projective transform
406
receives the token from the lighting interface
420
, and can process the token while the lighting engine
410
is performing its calculations. The token is first provided to the projective transform
406
and then to the perspective divide and view-port transform
408
. The projective transform
406
and the perspective divide and view-port transform
408
are separate stages but operate in a similar manner. Each stage
406
,
408
receives the token. Then each stage
406
,
408
checks the vertex buffer
506
for the availability of the indices identified in the token. If the data is available, the each stage
406
,
408
performs its operation by configuring the vertex buffer
506
to provide data and the ratio engine
516
to perform the desired operation on the data. The output data from the ratio engine
516
is then stored in at the locations specified by the token. The token is then passed to the next stage. Those skilled in the art will recognize that in
FIG. 6A
, a respective transformation matrix
604
,
606
is provide for the projective transform
406
and the perspective divide and view-port transform
408
. These transformation matrices
604
,
606
include the data need to translate the vertices to the appropriate coordinate space. These transformation matrices
602
,
604
,
606
since they are not provided in a centralized manner as part of the hardware organization of FIG.
5
A.
After the perspective divide and view-port transform
408
, the token is sent to the triangle rendering interface
422
. The triangle rendering interface
422
receives the token and then checks the vertex buffer
506
for the availability of the indices identified in the token. If the data is available, the data is transferred from the vertex buffer
506
to the triangle rendering interface
422
. The triangle rendering interface
422
preferably retrieves the coordinate data (x, y, z, w, u, v) information from the vertex buffer
506
and stores the data in a second triangle file
610
. The triangle rendering interface
422
provides the second triangle file
610
as input to the triangle rendering unit
412
. Once this data is retrieved from the vertex buffer
506
, and stored in the second triangle file
610
, the token is passed back to the new index module
510
and released. This preferably accomplished through communication between the triangle rendering interface
422
and the new index module
510
. The token is released by incrementing the write counter in response to signals from the triangle rendering interface
422
.
Once the triangle rendering unit
412
has received both the first triangle file
608
and the second triangle file
610
, the triangle rendering unit
412
processes these files
608
,
610
to perform x and y clipping, and other operations. The triangle rendering unit
412
produces an output that can then be used by the pixel rendering unit
414
to generate the pixels stored in the frame buffer
208
.
Referring now to
FIG. 6B
, a block diagram shows the processing of tokens according to third embodiment of the graphics engine
304
c
, and the units that the ratio engine can be configured as under direction of the geometry pipeline
304
b
. The blocks of this second embodiment are similar to those just described above with reference to FIG.
6
A. For ease of understanding and convenience, like reference numerals have been used for like parts. The second embodiment of the geometry pipeline
304
b
corresponds to the hardware shown and described with reference to FIG.
5
B. The second embodiment of the geometry pipeline
304
b
is different in the following respects. First, since this embodiment provides a centralized transformation matrix
508
, there are not corresponding matrices shown in
FIG. 6B
, but rather this one centralized matrix
508
provides the data needed in the model view transform
402
, the projective transform
406
and the perspective divide and view-port transform
408
. Second, the processing by the lighting engine
410
is truly parallel. Since this embodiment of the geometry pipeline
304
b
provides a lighting engine
410
entirely separate from the ratio engine
516
, the lighting processing can and is preferably done concurrently with the lighting engine
410
while the ratio engine
516
is used to perform the projective transform
406
and the perspective divide and view-port transform
408
. This is particularly advantageous because it solves the problems of latency and storage capacity noted in the background of the invention.
Referring now to
FIG. 9
, the preferred method for processing of vertex data using the token-based management scheme of the present invention will be described. The method begins in step
902
by receive data and command at the BCI unit
502
. Then in step
904
, the BCI unit
502
stores the data in the vertex buffer
506
. The BCI unit
502
also assigns stored data a token using the new index module
510
. Next in step
908
, the token is send to the first stage in the geometry pipeline
504
. The token is received at the stage in the geometry pipeline
504
in step
910
. Then in step
912
, the data at location specified by the token are retrieved from the vertex buffer
506
. Then in step
914
, the any transformation matrix need for the computation are retrieved, as necessary. In step
916
, the retrieved data (and the retrieved transformation matrix, if needed) is processed at pipeline stage/unit by the ratio engine
516
in accordance with the operation performed by the pipeline stage. The processed data is then stored back into the vertex buffer at the location specified by the token in step
918
. Then in step
920
, the method tests whether there are additional units or stages that need to process the token. If there are the token is passed to the next stage and the processing continues in step
910
for the next stage. If not, the method is complete and the data processed by the geometry pipeline is provided in step
922
after which the token is release in step
924
so that it can be used for additional processing.
It is to be understood that the specific mechanisms and techniques that have been described are merely illustrative of one application of the principles of the invention. Numerous additional modifications may be made to the apparatus described above without departing from the true spirit of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A system for token-based buffering and processing of three-dimensional graphics, the system comprising:a model view transformation unit having an input and an output, the input of the model view transformation unit coupled to receive a token that is an index to vertex data; a Z clipping unit having an input and an output, the input of the Z clipping unit coupled to the output of the model view transformation unit; a projection unit having an input and an output, the input of the projection unit coupled to the output of Z clipping unit; a perspective transformation unit having an input and an output, the input of the perspective transformation unit coupled to the output of projection unit; a lighting unit having an input and an output, the input of the lighting unit coupled to the output of Z clipping unit, the lighting unit operating concurrently with the projection unit or the perspective transformation unit; a triangle rendering unit having an inputs and an output, a first input of the triangle rendering unit coupled to the output of the perspective transformation unit, a second input of the triangle rendering unit coupled to the output of the lighting unit; and a pixel rendering unit having an input and an output, the input of the pixel rendering unit coupled to the output of the triangle rendering unit, the pixel rendering unit providing data representing pixels at its output.
- 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vertex buffer, the vertex buffer storing vertex data, and the token including one or more addresses to the vertex buffer, the vertex buffer coupled to the model view transformation unit, the clipping unit, the projection unit, the perspective transformation unit, the lighting unit, the triangle rendering unit and the pixel rendering unit.
- 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the model view transformation unit receives vertex data in model or world space (Xo, Yo, Zo, Wo), and translates it into eye space (Xe, Ye, Ze, We).
- 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the clipping unit performs only Z (near or far) clipping in eye space.
- 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the projection unit performs a projective transform on the vertices to convert them from eye space (Xe, Ye, Ze, We) to clip space (Xc, Yc, Zc, Wc).
- 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the perspective transformation unit receives the token and performs a perspective divide and view-port transform on the vertex reference by the token by converting the vertex from clip space (Xc, Yc, Zc, Wc) to screen space (Xs, Ys, Zs, Ws).
- 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the lighting unit operates in parallel with the projection unit and the perspective transformation unit, and the lighting unit provides shading using any a Gouraud or Phong algorithm.
- 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the triangle rendering unit 412 receives color data from the lighting unit and the vertex data from the perspective transformation unit and the triangle rendering unit performs the x and y clipping.
- 9. A system for token-based buffering and processing of three-dimensional graphics, the system comprising:a buffer control initialization unit having an input, a first output and a second output, for storing data and assigning tokens, the input of the buffer control initialization unit coupled to receive commands and vertex data; a vertex buffer having a data input, a control input, and a data output, the vertex buffer for storing data that is indexed by tokens, the data input and control input coupled to the output of the buffer control initialization unit; a ratio engine having a data input, a data output and a control input, the ratio engine for performing arithmetic and logic computations, the data input and the data output coupled to the input and output of the vertex buffer; and a geometry control pipeline having an input and an output, the geometry control pipeline for controlling the configuration of ratio engine to perform different computations of a geometry pipeline, the input of the geometry control pipeline coupled to the output of the buffer control initialization unit to receive tokens, and the output of the geometry control pipeline coupled to the control inputs of the vertex buffer and the control input of the ratio engine.
- 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a new index module for indicating the next token available to reference a location in the vertex buffer, the new index module coupled to the geometry control pipeline and the buffer control initialization unit.
- 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the new index module is a pair of counters.
- 12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a request arbiter for determining which of a plurality of signals from the geometry control pipeline will be applied to the vertex buffer, the request arbiter determining priority based on position of a stage in the geometry pipeline.
- 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a set of index multiplexers for coupling the geometry control pipeline to the vertex buffer, the set of index multiplexers determining the signal from the geometry control pipeline applied to the control input of the vertex buffer, the set of multiplexers being controlled by the request arbiter.
- 14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a transformation matrix, the transformation matrix coupled to the ratio engine and to the buffer control initialization unit, the transformation matrix providing matrices used to transform coordinates from one space to another.
- 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the geometry control pipeline further comprises:a model view transformation unit having an input and an output, the input of the model view transformation unit coupled to receive a token from the buffer control initialization unit; a Z clipping unit having an input and an output, the input of the Z clipping unit coupled to the output of the model view transformation unit; a lighting interface having an input and an output, the input of the lighting interface coupled to the output of Z clipping unit, the lighting interface providing data to the lighting engine and receiving data from the lighting engine and storing the data in a first triangle file; a projection unit having an input and an output, the input of the projection unit coupled to the output of the lighting interface; a perspective transformation unit having an input and an output, the input of the perspective transformation unit coupled to the output of projection unit; and a triangle rendering interface having an input and an output, the input of the triangle rendering unit coupled to the output of the perspective transformation unit, the triangle rendering interface receiving data from the vertex buffer and storing the data in a second triangle file, the triangle rendering interface also coupled to the buffer control initialization unit to release a token for additional use.
- 16. The system of claim 9, further comprising a triangle rendering unit having inputs coupled to receive the first and second triangle files, the triangle rendering unit performing x and y clipping.
- 17. The system of claim 9, further comprising a lighting engine for performing lighting operations and calculations, the lighting engine coupled to the geometry control pipeline to receive control signals, the vertex buffer to receive and send data and the transformation matrix to receive matrices.
- 18. The system of claim 9, wherein the vertex buffer is a 64×128 1R1W Megacell.
- 19. The system of claim 9, wherein the vertex buffer includes a plurality of entries, and one entry is reserved to identify a fan starting vertex and a plurality of entries are reserved for insertion entries for triangle vertices that may needed during a clipping operation.
- 20. A method for processing vertex data, the method comprising the steps of:storing received data in a buffer; assigning the stored data a token, the token being an index to a location in the buffer where the received data is stored; sending the token to a stage in a geometry pipeline; receiving the token at the stage in the geometry pipeline; retrieving from the buffer the data at a location specified by the token; processing the retrieved data with an engine configured as the next pipeline stage; and storing the processed data in the buffer at the location specified by the token.
- 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of receiving data and a command at an initialization unit, and wherein the command dictates how the data will be stored in the buffer and the step of receiving initiates the steps of storing and assigning.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of assigning is performed using a new index module that communicates with the an initialization unit.
- 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the geometry pipeline includes a model view transformation stage, a Z clipping stage, a lighting interface stage, a projection stage, a perspective transformation stage, and an a triangle rendering interface stage.
- 24. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of retrieveing a transformation matrix need for the stage of the pipeline.
- 25. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:determining whether there is a next stage that need to process the token; and if there is a next stage that need to process the token, repeating the steps of sending the token to the next stage in a geometry pipeline; receiving the token at the next stage in the geometry pipeline; retrieving from the buffer the data at a location specified by the token; processing the retrieved data with an engine configured as the next pipeline stage; and storing the processed data in the buffer at the location specified by the token.
- 26. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of releasing the token so that it can be used for additional processing.
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Name |
Date |
Kind |
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Nishizawa |
Sep 1992 |
A |
6111582 |
Jenkins |
Aug 2000 |
A |
6268875 |
Duluk et al. |
Jul 2001 |
B1 |