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Abstract

The invention is a method and apparatus primarily for generating pixel representations for the video display of three-dimensional objects projected onto a two-dimensional pixel plane. The scanlines of the pixel plane are associated into N interlaced sets, each set having as members only scanlines having an equivalent vertical pixel location Modulo N. The image memory unit block utilizes both serial and parallel processing. For each color (red, green and blue) and for calculating depths, each image memory unit has a plurality N of Scanline Processors for generating the color or depth data to assign to a given pixel. Each of the Scanline Processors is associated with exactly one of the N sets of scanlines. The image memory units each also include a Master Controller. For certain objects, particularly triangular patches, the Master Controller sets up sequentially each Scanline Processor to render pixels on a specific scanline. As the Scanline Processor is rendered pixels, the Master Controller sets up the next scanline processor, and so on, until the entire patch is rendered. For other constructs, such as non-horizontal vectors, the Master Controller sets up all of the N Scanline Processors simultaneously with all of the data necessary to render the entire vector. Each Scanline Processor determines the location of pixels representing the vector and also calculates data with resepct to each pixel. Each scanline processor only writes to memory that data with respect to pixels of scanlines assigned to the set with which each Scanline Processor is associated.

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First Claim