Patent ID: 6947041

Claim:
An image processing method, comprising: (a) retrieving data representing triangular polygons, the polygons defining an object for a purpose of computer graphics processing, each of the polygons having three edges, the three edges defining a size of each polygon; (b) comparing the size of each of the polygons represented by the retrieved data with a predetermined threshold value to identify a first set of the polygons in which the size exceeds the threshold value and a second set of the polygons in which the size does not exceed the threshold value; (c) for each of the polygons in the first set, detecting a longest one of the three edges; (d) dividing each of the polygons in the first set with a line segment connecting a predetermined point on the longest one of the three edges to an apex opposite the longest one of the three edges to form divided polygons; (e) comparing the size of each of the divided polygons with a predetermined threshold value to identify a first set of the divided polygons in which the size exceeds the threshold value and a second set of the divided polygons in which the size does not exceed the threshold value; (f) for each of the divided polygons in the first set, detecting a longest one of the three edges; (g) further dividing each of the divided polygons in the first set with a line segment connecting a predetermined point on the longest one of the three edges to an apex opposite the longest one of the three edges; (h) thereafter repeating the comparing step, the detecting step and the further dividing step in order with respect to the divided polygons obtained by the further dividing step until there are no divided polygons for which the size exceeds the threshold value, such that the lengths of the three edges of each divided polygon become approximately equal; and (i) converting each of the polygons in the second set of polygons and each of the divided polygons in the second set of divided polygons into pixels.