Variable precision shading

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9916682-B2
Application number	US-201514925325-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2015
Priority date	Oct 28, 2015
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

The power consumption of processor-based devices may be reduced by reducing the consumption of power during graphics processing. In some embodiments, the precision of pixel shading in parts of images where artifacts are less objectionable may be reduced. For example, in areas the user is not directly looking at, precision may be reduced to save power. At the same time, because a person is not focusing on those regions, even if usually perceptible artifacts occur because of the reduced precision, an overall pleasing depiction may be achieved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
enabling pixel shading to be selectively performed at at least two different precisions; and
using different shading precisions during deferred shading.

2. The method of claim 1 including reducing precision in a screen area of less user interest.

3. The method of claim 2 including defining a substantially elliptical screen region of user interest for higher precision and defining a surrounding screen region of reduced precision.

4. The method of claim 1 including defining two substantially elliptical screen regions with different precisions, one region within the other region.

5. The method of claim 1 including specifying variable precision shading as a shading language data type that has variable precision depending on the screen region it shades.

6. The method of claim 1 including defining at least two screen regions with different precisions.

7. The method of claim 1 including performing coarse pixel shading.

8. The method of claim 1 including quantizing transition boundaries between regions of different precision based on hardware single instruction multiple data width.

9. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions to perform a sequence comprising:
enabling pixel shading to be selectively performed at at least two different precisions; and
using different shading precisions during deferred shading.

10. The media of claim 9 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including reducing precision in a screen area of less user interest.

11. The media of claim 10 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including defining a substantially elliptical screen region of user interest for higher precision and defining a surrounding screen region of reduced precision.

12. The method of claim 9 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including defining two substantially elliptical screen regions with different precisions, one region within the other region.

13. The media of claim 9 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including specifying variable precision shading as a shading language data type that has variable precision depending on the screen region it shades.

14. The media of claim 9 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including defining at least two screen regions with different precisions.

15. The media of claim 9 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including performing coarse pixel shading.

16. The media of claim 9 , further storing instructions to perform a sequence including quantizing transition boundaries between regions of different precision based on hardware single instruction multiple data width.

17. An apparatus comprising:
a processor to enable pixel shading to be selectively performed at at least two different precisions, use different shading precisions during deferred shading; and
a memory coupled to said processor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , said processor to reduce precision in a screen area of less user interest.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , said processor to define a substantially elliptical screen region of user interest for higher precision and defining a surrounding screen region of reduced precision.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 , said processor to define two substantially elliptical screen regions with different precisions, one region within the other region.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 , said processor to specify variable precision shading as a shading language data type that has variable precision depending on the screen region it shades.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 , said processor to define at least two screen regions with different precisions.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 , said processor to perform coarse pixel shading.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 , said processor to quantize transition boundaries between regions of different precision based on hardware single instruction multiple data width.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Sathe Rahul P
• Poddar Bimal
• Hasselgren Jon N

Classifications

• G06T2200/04

  involving 3D image data · CPC title

• G06T15/80 Primary

  Shading · CPC title

• G06T2200/28

  involving image processing hardware · CPC title

• G06T15/005

  General purpose rendering architectures · CPC title

• G06T2215/16

  Using real world measurements to influence rendering · CPC title