This paper presents a many-core visual computing architecture code named Larrabee, a new software rendering pipeline, a manycore programming model, and performance analysis for several applications. Larrabee uses multiple in-order x86 CPU cores that are augmented by a wide vector processor unit, as well as some fixed function logic blocks. This provides dramatically higher performance per watt and per unit of area than out-of-order CPUs on highly parallel workloads. It also greatly increases the flexibility and programmability of the architecture as compared to standard GPUs. A coherent on-die 2nd level cache allows efficient inter-processor communication and high-bandwidth local data access by CPU cores. Task scheduling is performed entirely with software in Larrabee, rather than in fixed function logic. The customizable software graphics rendering pipeline for this architecture uses binning in order to reduce required memory bandwidth, minimize lock contention, and increase opportunities for parallelism relative to standard GPUs. The Larrabee native programming model supports a variety of highly parallel applications that use irregular data structures. Performance analysis on those applications demonstrates Larrabee's potential for a broad range of parallel computation.

/pdf/larrabee-a-many-core-x86-architecture-for-visual-computing-58j94b6w2n.pdf

Larrabee: a many-core x86 architecture for visual computing

Modern laser range and optical scanners need rendering techniques that can handle millions of points with high resolution textures. This paper describes a point rendering and texture filtering technique called surface splatting which directly renders opaque and transparent surfaces from point clouds without connectivity. It is based on a novel screen space formulation of the Elliptical Weighted Average (EWA) filter. Our rigorous mathematical analysis extends the texture resampling framework of Heckbert to irregularly spaced point samples. To render the points, we develop a surface splat primitive that implements the screen space EWA filter. Moreover, we show how to optimally sample image and procedural textures to irregular point data during pre-processing. We also compare the optimal algorithm with a more efficient view-independent EWA pre-filter. Surface splatting makes the benefits of EWA texture filtering available to point-based rendering. It provides high quality anisotropic texture filtering, hidden surface removal, edge anti-aliasing, and order-independent transparency.

Surface splatting

The Larrabee many-core visual computing architecture uses multiple in-order x86 cores augmented by wide vector processor units, together with some fixed-function logic. This increases the architecture's programmability as compared to standard GPUs. The article describes the Larrabee architecture, a software renderer optimized for it, and other highly parallel applications. The article analyzes performance through scalability studies based on real-world workloads.

Larrabee: A Many-Core x86 Architecture for Visual Computing

A graphics processing system includes a graphics processor and a memory for storing data to be used by and generated by the graphics processor. In a first rendering pass, the graphics processor generates an array of graphics data and stores the generated array of graphics data in the memory. The array of graphics data generated in the first rendering pass is used in a subsequent rendering pass. In the first rendering pass, the graphics processor determines one or more regions of the array of graphics data that have a particular characteristic, and generates information indicative of the one or more regions. In the subsequent rendering pass, the graphics processor uses the information indicative of the one or more regions to control the reading of the array of graphics data when it is to be used in the subsequent rendering pass.

Graphics processing systems

A system for improved shadowing of images using a multiple pass, depth buffer approach includes rendering a scene from the perspective of a light source to construct a shadow depth map in a rasterization buffer. The system computes depth values for the two nearest geometric primitives to the light source for pixels, and stores these depth values in the rasterization buffer. Once the shadow map is constructed, it is stored in shared memory, where it can be retrieved for subsequent rendering passes. The two depth values for each element in the shadow map can be used in combination with a global bias to eliminate self-shadowing artifacts and avoid artifacts in the terminator region. The system supports linear or higher order filtering of data from the shadow depth map to produce smoother transitions from shadowed and un-shadowed portions of an image. In addition, the system supports the re-use of the shadow map and shadowed images for more than one frame.

Method and system for improving shadowing in a graphics rendering system

The present invention is an improved system and method of antialiasing which generates a coverage mask which is retained long enough to achieve geometric precision. The coverage mask information is retained throughout the compositing stage of the image generation. A system for antialiasing an image according to the present invention is comprised of a means for compositing an image, wherein the image is composited using coverage mask data of a pixel, and means for storage of data during image compositing, the storage means coupled to the compositing means.

Method and apparatus for high performance antialiasing which minimizes per pixel storage and object data bandwidth

one pass per subpixel sample) through the hardware rendering pipeline. The resulting image is very high quality, but the performance degrades in proportion to the number of subpixel samples used by the filter function. This paper describes algorithms for accelerating antialiasing in 3D graphics through low-cost custom hardware. The rendering architecture employs a multiple-pass algorithm to perform front-to-back hidden surface removal and shading. Coverage mask evaluation is used to composite objects in 3D. The key advantage of this approach is that antialiasing requires no additional memory and decreases rendering performance by only 30-40% for typical images. The system is image partition based and is scalable to satisfy a wide range of performance and cost constraints. An A-buffer implementation does not require several passes of the object data, but does require sorting objects by depth before compositing them. The amount of memory required to store the sorted layers is limited to the number of subpixel samples, but it is significant since the color, opacity and mask data are needed for each layer. The compositing operation uses a blending function which is based on three possible subpixel coverage components and is more computationally intensive than the accumulation buffer blending function. The difficulty of implementing the A-buffer algorithm in hardware is described by Molnar [12]. CR

Hardware accelerated rendering of antialiasing using a modified a-buffer algorithm

A method and apparatus for approximating a value distributed between two endpoints. The method and apparatus are embodied in a rendering device for calculating pixel shading values for the display of 3-D graphical images. The method approximates a function P(w)=(1-w)A+wB, where w is a provided interpolation weight between 0 and 1, A is a first endpoint value and B is a second endpoint value. The method causes exact evaluation for the cases where P(0)=A and P(1)=B. The method is comprised generally of the steps of: providing an interpolation weight value W comprised of N bit values; assigning a first predetermined pattern of N bits (J) to cause said first extreme parameter value A to be generated and a second predetermined pattern of N bits (K) to cause the second extreme parameter value B to be generated; assigning a third predetermined pattern of N bits (L) as a saturation multiplier, performing a linear interpolation to derive a parameter value for a pixel P, using a function ((J-W)A+WB); and adding a saturation value according to the criteria that if W is less than a saturation threshold, adding the quantity (L×A) to the result; or if W is greater than or equal to the saturation threshold, adding the quantity (L×B) to the result. The apparatus is comprised of a plurality of multiplexors, carry-save adders and a carry-propagate adder.

Method and apparatus for approximating a signed value between two endpoint values in a three-dimensional image rendering device

A method and apparatus for simultaneous retrieval of multiple pixels from a texture map storage means. Multiple texture maps are generated and stored in a modified M/P (multum in pravo--many things in a small space) map form. Even and odd numbered pixels are stored in different memory banks so that adjacent odd and even pixels may be retrieved simultaneously. The MIP maps are stored so that the pages of the MIP maps having the same resolution are stored contiguously. This arrangement has the effect of reducing the number of unique address signals needed for accessing any two adjacent pixels in the texture map and simplifying the generation of texture map pixel addresses.

Method and apparatus for storage and retrieval of a texture map in a graphics display system

A computer graphics system having a processor for generating objects for display, a multi-layered Z-buffer for storing data according to their relative depths, the processor also compositing the data stored in the Z-buffer, a frame buffer for storing composited data, a display for displaying an image as a number of pixels responsive to the composited data in the frame buffer, and two registers for facilitating the Z-buffering process is disclosed. One of the registers stores a number indicating how many of the layers in the Z-buffer contain visible data dependent on opacity of existing objects. In the other register, a number of addresses corresponding to each of the layers of the Z-buffer are stored. Each address specifies a location where data of one of the layers is stored. A determination is made as to which layer data associated with an incoming object is to be inserted. This determination depends on the contents of the first register as well as the value of the incoming object relative to those of objects already stored in the Z-buffer. The addresses of the second register are arranged to correspond to the appropriate layers in response to insertion of the incoming data.

Computer graphics system having high performance multiple layer Z-buffer

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