Patent ID: 7277095

Claim:
A method of rendering a plurality of graphical objects, each of the graphical objects comprising a predetermined object outline, a predetermined z-order, and an associated fill, the object outline for a particular object defining an area in which the particular object is filled, said method comprising the steps of: (a) combining each of the objects to form a grouped object, the grouped object comprising a grouped object outline and an associated compound fill, the compound fill comprising a plurality of fill data structures describing the fills associated with the graphical objects; and (b) rendering the grouped object according to the grouped object outline, wherein one or more fills used to render the grouped object are determined according to the compound fill, the rendering comprising the steps, at a current pixel, of; (b)(i) calculating a position of the current pixel relative to a tracking point defined for the compound fill; (b)(ii) determining a current one of the fills using the calculated relative position; and (b)(iii) generating a color for the pixel using the determined current fill.