Patent ID: 7564457

Claim:
A method for a computer system comprises: determining in the computer a first set of shading results associated with a geometric object in response to a first set of shading computations and first shading data associated with the geometric object, wherein the first shading data is associated with both a first scene and a second scene; determining in the computer a second set of shading results associated with the geometric object in response to a second set of shading computations and second shading data associated with the geometric object; determining in the computer a first combined set of shading results associated with the geometric object to be used for generating an image associated with the second scene, in response to the first set of shading results and to the second set of shading results wherein a second combined set of shading results is associated with the geometric object to be used for generating an image associated with the first scene, wherein the second combined set of shading results is not determined in response to the second set of shading results.