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Abstract

A lighting effect computation block and method therefore is presented. The lighting effect computation block separates lighting effect calculations for video graphics primitives into a number of simpler calculations that are performed in parallel but accumulated in an order-dependent manner. Each of the individual calculations is managed by a separate thread controller, where lighting effect calculations for a vertex of a primitive may be performed using a single parent light thread controller and a number of sub-light thread controllers. Each thread controller manages a thread of operation codes related to determination of the lighting parameters for the particular vertex. The thread controllers submit operation codes to an arbitration module based on the expected latency and interdependency between the various operation codes. The arbitration module determines which operation code is executed during a particular cycle, and provides that operation code to a computation engine. The computation engine performs calculations based on the operation code and stores results either in a memory or in an accumulation buffer corresponding to the particular vertex lighting effect block. In order to ensure that the order-dependent operations are properly performed, each of the sub-light thread controllers determines whether or not the accumulation operations for the preceding threads have been initiated before it submits its own final operation code that results in the performance of a subsequent accumulation operation.

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First Claim