Dynamic programmable texture sampler for flexible filtering of graphical texture data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9355465-B2
Application number	US-201314142539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

For a given texture address, a multi-mode texture sampler fetches and reduces texture data with a multi-mode filter accumulator suitable for providing a weighted average over a variety of filter footprints. A multi-mode texture sampler is configurable to provide both a wide variety of footprints and allow for a filter footprint significantly wider than the bi-linear (2×2 texel) footprint. In embodiments, filter coefficients specifying a weighting for each texel in a flexible footprint are cached from coefficient tables stored in memory. Techniques and systems are provided for dynamic allocation, update and handling of weighting coefficient tables as resources independent of sampler state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of allocating filter weighting coefficients to a graphical texture sampler, the method comprising:
providing a binding table with a first sampler slot to store a reference to a first memory location storing a first sampler state;
providing a binding table with a first indirect sampler slot to store a reference to a second memory location containing a first set of texel weighting coefficients;
mapping, via hardware, or fixed function firmware of the graphical texture sampler, or a combination thereof the first sampler slot to the first indirect sampler slot to associate the first sampler state with the set of texel weighting coefficients; and
displaying, via a display, output images based at least in part on the performed mapping.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first sampler slot is one of a plurality of sampler slots, and the plurality includes one sampler slot for each sampler state concurrently available to a shader;
the first indirect sampler slot is one of a plurality of indirect sampler slots available to the shader, and the plurality of indirect sampler slots includes one indirect sampler slot for each direct sampler slot; and
each sampler slot is mapped to one of the indirect sampler slots.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating the first sampler state in the first memory location, the first sampler state specifying a sampler operable to weight a sampled texel value or plurality of texel values for each input texture address and to weight each sampled texel value with a predetermined weighting coefficient;
storing the reference to the first memory location in the first sampler slot to bind the first sampler state to the first sampler slot;
creating in the second memory location a coefficient table populated with the first set of texel weighting coefficients; and
storing a pointer to the second memory location in the first indirect sampler slot to bind the coefficient table to the first sampler state.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating a flexible texture sampler state in the first memory location, the flexible sampler state specifying a sampler operable to sample a plurality of texel values for each input texture address and to weight each sampled texel value with a predetermined weighting coefficient;
storing the reference to the first memory location in the first sampler slot to bind the flexible texture sampler to the first sampler slot;
creating in the second memory location a first coefficient table populated with the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
storing a pointer to the second memory location in the indirect sampler slot;
receiving a draw request;
accessing the coefficient table based on the pointer; and
performing a draw with the flexible texture sampler state using the first set of texel weighting coefficients.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating the first sampler state in the first memory location, the first sampler state specifying a sampler operable to weight a sampled texel value or plurality of texel values for each input texture address and to weight each sampled texel value with a predetermined weighting coefficient;
storing the reference to the first memory location in the first sampler slot to bind the first sampler state to the first sampler slot;
creating in the second memory location a first coefficient table populated with the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
storing a pointer to the second memory location in the first indirect sampler slot; and
modifying operation of a sampler operable in the first sampler state without updating the first sampler state by at least one of:
writing to the second memory location to generate a second set of texel weighting coefficients by replacing one or more coefficient within the first set of texel weighting coefficients; or
updating the pointer to reference a third memory location storing a second coefficient table populated with a different set of texel weighting coefficients.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating the first sampler state in the first memory location, the first sampler state specifying a sampler operable to weight a sampled texel value or plurality of texel values for each input texture address and to weight each sampled texel value with a predetermined weighting coefficient;
storing the reference to the first memory location in the first sampler slot to bind the first sampler state to the first sampler slot;
creating in the second memory location a first coefficient table populated with the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
storing a pointer to the second memory location in the first indirect sampler slot;
receiving a first draw request;
accessing the first coefficient table based on the first pointer; and
performing a first draw with the first sampler state using the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
modifying the first sampler state while maintaining the pointer in first indirect sampler slot
receiving a second draw request;
accessing the coefficient table based on the pointer; and
performing a second draw with the modified first sampler state using the first set of texel weighting coefficients.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating a first sampler state in the first memory location, the first sampler state specifying a sampler operable to weight a sampled texel value or plurality of texel values for each input texture address and to weight each sampled texel value with a predetermined weighting coefficient;
storing the reference to the first memory location in the first sampler slot to bind the first sampler state to the first sampler slot;
creating in the second memory location a first coefficient table populated with the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
creating in a third memory location a second coefficient table populated with a second set of texel weighting coefficients;
storing a first pointer to the second memory location in the first indirect sampler slot to bind the coefficient table to the first sampler state;
receiving a first draw request;
accessing the first coefficient table based on the first pointer; and
performing a first draw with the first sampler state using the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
storing a second pointer to the third memory location in the first indirect sampler slot to bind the second coefficient table to the first sampler state;
receiving a second draw request;
accessing the second coefficient table based on the second pointer; and
performing a second draw with the first sampler state using the second set of texel weighting coefficients.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating a first sampler state in the first memory location, the first sampler state specifying a sampler operable to weight a sampled texel value or plurality of texel values for each input texture address and to weight each sampled texel value with a predetermined weighting coefficient;
storing the reference to the first memory location in the first sampler slot to bind the first sampler state to the first sampler slot;
creating in the second memory location a coefficient table populated with the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
storing a pointer to the second memory location in the first indirect sampler slot to bind the coefficient table to the first sampler state;
receiving a first draw request;
accessing the coefficient table based on the pointer;
performing a first draw with the first sampler state using the first set of texel weighting coefficients;
modifying operation of a sampler operable in the first sampler state without updating the first sampler state by at l

Assignees

• Neyman Aleksander Olek
• Apodaca Michael
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Neyman Aleksander Olek
• Apodaca Michael

Classifications

• G06T7/403 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T11/40

  Filling planar surfaces by adding surface attributes, e.g. adding colours or textures · CPC title

• G06T7/44 Primary

  using image operators, e.g. filters, edge density metrics or local histograms · CPC title