Image processing system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12333632-B2
Application number	US-202318161961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2023
Priority date	Feb 8, 2022
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

An image processing system operable to generate one or more images for display, the system comprising a rendering unit operable to render one or more of a plurality of textures using flexible scale rasterization, FSR, a metadata generation unit operable to generate metadata indicating one or more properties of the FSR used to render a corresponding texture, a shader compiler operable to read the metadata, and to modify a shader to enable a texture sampling to be performed that includes an FSR resolve where the metadata indicates that a corresponding texture has been rendered with FSR, and an image generation unit operable to generate an image for display using at least one modified shader, the generated image including one or more of the plurality of textures.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image processing system operable to generate one or more images for display, the system comprising:
a processor and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the image processing system to:
render one or more of a plurality of textures using flexible scale rasterization, FSR, wherein FSR includes a method by which image content is generated using a varying rasterization rate for different areas of the image content, with the rate being dependent upon the position of each area within the image content;
generate metadata indicating one or more properties of the FSR used to render a corresponding texture;
to read the metadata, and modify a shader to enable a texture sampling to be performed that includes an FSR resolve where the metadata indicates that a corresponding texture has been rendered with FSR; and
generate an image for display using at least one modified shader, the generated image including one or more of the plurality of textures.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the textures correspond to one or more video game elements.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises a flag indicating the use of FSR when rendering a corresponding texture.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises a look-up table describing a warping of a corresponding texture due to the use of FSR.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata is embedded in the texture.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata is provided as a part of the texture file.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata is indicative of one or more properties of the FSR used to render each of a plurality of textures.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of shaders in a graphics pipeline are modified.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the FSR resolve comprises a linearisation of the rendered texture.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor and the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the image processing system to:
perform an analysis of a shader to determine the type of modification to be applied by the shader compiler.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor and the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the image processing system to:
perform a statistical analysis of the shader code and/or execute a shader using one or more sample textures to determine the performance of the shader.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor and the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the image processing system to:
generate one or more candidate modified shaders using respective types of modification, and
analyse each of the candidate modified shaders, and select a preferred type of modification in dependence upon the analysis.

13. A method for generating one or more images for display, the method comprising:
rendering one or more of a plurality of textures using flexible scale rasterization, FSR, wherein FSR includes a method by which image content is generated using a varying rasterization rate for different areas of the image content, with the rate being dependent upon the position of each area within the image content;
generating metadata indicating one or more properties of the FSR used to render a corresponding texture;
reading the metadata at a shader compiler;
modifying a shader to enable a texture sampling to be performed that includes an FSR resolve where the metadata indicates that a corresponding texture has been rendered with FSR; and
generating an image for display using at least one modified shader, the generated image including one or more of the plurality of textures.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium which stores computer software which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for generating one or more images for display, the method comprising:
rendering one or more of a plurality of textures using flexible scale rasterization, FSR, wherein FSR includes a method by which image content is generated using a varying rasterization rate for different areas of the image content, with the rate being dependent upon the position of each area within the image content;
generating metadata indicating one or more properties of the FSR used to render a corresponding texture;
reading the metadata at a shader compiler;
modifying a shader to enable a texture sampling to be performed that includes an FSR resolve where the metadata indicates that a corresponding texture has been rendered with FSR; and
generating an image for display using at least one modified shader, the generated image including one or more of the plurality of textures.

Assignees

• Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc

Inventors

• Connor Patrick John

Classifications

• G06T11/10 Primary

  Texturing; Colouring; Generation of textures or colours (retouching, inpainting or scratch removal G06T5/77) · CPC title

• G06T1/20

  Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining · CPC title

• A63F13/52

  involving aspects of the displayed game scene · CPC title

• G06T15/00

  Three-dimensional [3D] image rendering · CPC title

• G06T11/00

  Two-dimensional [2D] image generation · CPC title