Patent ID: 7864177
Filing Date: 2011-01-04
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method, implemented within a computer system including a graphics rendering subsystem, providing for the production of image data representative of a scene containing defined elements for display on a display device, said method comprising the steps of: predetermining a visibility map for a surface of a predetermined graphical element for use in the computation of global illumination within a predetermined scene, said visibility map containing a repeating pattern of four eight bit components, wherein each component represents a percentage of the corresponding portion that is visible from the surface at a point, wherein said surface is subdivided to include a plurality of polygons, and, for each of said polygons, wherein said visibility map defines, for a plurality of regular surface subdivisions of a hemisphere associated with a corresponding polygon, the relative visibility of said regular surface subdivision to incident global illumination; and storing said visibility map accessible by a graphics rendering subsystem.