Patent ID: 7719539

Claim:
A method for generating 3-dimensional computer images, the method comprising the steps of: subdividing an image into a plurality of tiles; grouping the tiles into a plurality of macrotiles, each macrotile comprising a plurality of the tiles; defining a threshold level for a display list memory for the macrotiles which is less than a full display list memory; loading object data for each macrotile into the display list memory until the threshold level is reached; deriving image data and shading data for each picture element of each of the tiles in the macrotiles from the object data, wherein the object data for each of the tiles is processed by a sequence of partial renderings of the macrotiles if the amount of the object data associated with the macrotiles exceeds the threshold level of the display list memory; storing the image data and the shading data generated by the partial renderings in a local memory; maintaining the display list memory released by the partial renderings of the macrotiles as being available for further use; loading additional object data for each of the macrotiles into the maintained display list memory to replace existing contents; retrieving the image data and the shading data generated by the previous partial renderings and stored in the local memory; deriving additional image data and shading data for each picture element of the tiles from the additional object data stored in the display list memory and the image data and the shading data previously generated by the partial renderings; repeating the steps of storing the image data and the shading data, loading the additional object data, retrieving the image data and the shading data, and deriving the additional image data and shading data until there is no further object data to load into the display list memory; and providing the image data and the shading data to a frame buffer memory for display.