Resolution-independent surface rendering using programmable graphics hardware

Patent · Tue Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2008

OSTI ID:957017

Loop, Charles T ^[1]; Blinn, James Frederick ^[1]

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1. Bellevue, WA

Surfaces defined by a Bezier tetrahedron, and in particular quadric surfaces, are rendered on programmable graphics hardware. Pixels are rendered through triangular sides of the tetrahedra and locations on the shapes, as well as surface normals for lighting evaluations, are computed using pixel shader computations. Additionally, vertex shaders are used to aid interpolation over a small number of values as input to the pixel shaders. Through this, rendering of the surfaces is performed independently of viewing resolution, allowing for advanced level-of-detail management. By individually rendering tetrahedrally-defined surfaces which together form complex shapes, the complex shapes can be rendered in their entirety.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA)
• Patent Number(s): 7,466,314
• Application Number: 11/261,071
• OSTI ID: 957017
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English