| 摘要 |
Apparatus and method for a Parallel Query Z-coordinate Buffer <DEL-S DATE="20030415" ID="DEL-S-00001"/>are described. The apparatus and method<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00001"/> perform a keep/discard decision on screen coordinate geometry before the geometry is converted or rendered into individual display screen pixels by implementing a parallel searching technique within a novel z-coordinate buffer based on a novel magnitude comparison content addressable memory (MCCAM) structure. The MCCAM provides <DEL-S DATE="20030415" ID="DEL-S-00002"/>means<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00002"/> <INS-S DATE="20030415" ID="INS-S-00001"/>structure and method <INS-E ID="INS-S-00001"/>for performing simultaneous arithmetic magnitude comparisons on numerical quantities. These arithmetic magnitude comparisons include arithmetic less-than, greater-than, less-than-or-equal to, and greater-than-or-equal-to operations between coordinate values of a selected graphical object and the coordinate values of other objects in the image scene which may or may not occult the selected graphical object. <DEL-S DATE="20030415" ID="DEL-S-00003"/>Embodiments of the method and apparatus utilizing variations<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00003"/> <INS-S DATE="20030415" ID="INS-S-00002"/>The structure and method support variations and combinations <INS-E ID="INS-S-00002"/>of bounding box occulting tests, vertex bounding box occulting tests, span occulting tests, and raster-write occulting tests<DEL-S DATE="20030415" ID="DEL-S-00004"/>, as well as combinations of these tests are described<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00004"/> .
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