Patent ID: 7746352
Filing Date: 2010-06-29
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method for rendering an image, the method comprising: (a) defining a mapping from texture coordinates to virtual addresses for each texel in a texture that includes a plurality of regions of texel data; (b) storing a subset of the regions of the texel data in a local texture store; (c) mapping the virtual addresses corresponding to the stored subset of the regions to respective physical addresses of the stored subset of regions in the local texture store; (d) requesting a first texel of the texture by reference to a first virtual address; (e) in the event that the first texel is stored in the local texture store, retrieving the first texel from the local texture store; and (f) in the event that the first texel is not stored in the local texture store, (1) determining a virtual address of an alternative texel that is stored in the local texture store; (2) retrieving the alternative texel; and (3) identifying the first texel as requested but non-resident; and (g) rendering pixel data for the image using the retrieved texel; (h) storing the pixel data in a memory; and (i) after rendering the pixel data, in the event that the first texel is requested but non-resident: (1) retrieving a region of texel data that includes the first texel from a primary texture store that stores the entire texture; and (2) storing the retrieved region in the local texture store, thereby making the first texel available to a subsequent rendering operation.