Patent ID: 7719544
Filing Date: 2010-05-18
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method for providing controllable texture sampling, comprising: specifying via a 3-D graphics application programming interface (API) of a host computing system at least one parameter of a sampling footprint utilized in connection with controllable texture sampling of a texture map by a graphics subsystem of the host computing system having a graphics processing unit, wherein: said specifying of at least one parameter includes specifying at least one parameter of a sampling footprint that applies self-shadowed volumetric rendering in combination with conventional slice or splat-style volumetric rendering and said specifying further includes applying a per-vertex specification of a sampling direction of the sampling footprint; said specifying includes at least one of: transmitting said at least one parameter via the 3-D graphics API to the graphics processing unit to perform said controllable texture sampling in accordance with said at least one parameter; and texture sampling said texture map in accordance with said specified at least one parameter of said sampling footprint.