Patent ID: 8587602

Claim:
A machine-implemented method comprising: receiving a request for texels of a texture at a texture unit from a requestor, the request includes a level of detail (LOD) threshold for one or more parts of the texture; accessing a texture memory that stores a plurality of tiles for the texture at different LODs; supplying texels for the texture based on tile LOD availability in the texture memory and the LOD threshold for the one or more parts of the texture, the supplying includes clamping an LOD for any tiles for which the greatest LOD available in the texture memory is within a pre-defiined value of the LOD threshhold to an LOD that is no more than the pre-defined value coarser than the requested LOD threshold, the clamping the LOD is performed by the texture unit; sending an “OK”feedback from the texture unit to the requestor for any tiles that were supplied without being clamped; sending a warning from the texture unit to the requestor that the LOD was clamped to an LOD that is no more than the pre-defined value coarser than the requested LOD threshold for any tiles that were clamped; and sending a feedback of fail to the requestor for any tiles for which the most detailed LOD in the texture memory is not within the pre-defined value of the LOD threshold.