Patent ID: 7221372

Claim:
A method of modifying a footprint in dependence on a specified number of texture elements touched by the footprint, in a graphics system providing the texture elements having a resolution, comprising: (a) determining a dimension or a shape of the footprint; (b) specifying the resolution of the texture elements associated with the footprint, based on the specified number of texture elements and based on the dimension or shape determined in step (a); and (c) determining whether the graphics system provides texture elements having the resolution specified in step (b), (c.1) if the graphics system provides texture elements having the resolution specified in step (b), maintaining the footprint; and (c.2) if the graphics system does not provide texture elements having the resolution specified in step (b), selecting the texture elements provided by the graphics system and having a respective resolution, and reducing the size of the footprint such that the number of texture elements touched by the footprint having the reduced size is essentially equal to or smaller than the specified number.