| 摘要 |
<p><P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the overall efficiency of a graphics rendering pipeline by reducing the work load of a shader engine which is a known performance bottleneck of almost all the graphics rendering pipelines. <P>SOLUTION: Whether advancing a Z-test function above the shader engine for early Z-testing is possible or whether the Z-test function should be deferred until after shading operation for late Z-testing, is determined. When possible, the shader engine is suitably released from unnecessary work by discarding samples with the Z-value not changed by shading operation, before they enter the shader engine. The functional units are utilized in both early Z and late Z configurations to minimize any additional hardware required for implementation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT</p> |
