초록 ▼

A host system executes one or more application programs which results in graphic data structures. These graphic data structures are then continuously and asynchronously traversed. Traversal requests by competing application programs are scheduled and performed so that each application views the grap

A host system executes one or more application programs which results in graphic data structures. These graphic data structures are then continuously and asynchronously traversed. Traversal requests by competing application programs are scheduled and performed so that each application views the graphics processing as its own. The traversal and ordering of traversal requests provide efficient use of resources for multiple application programs.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of operating a computer graphics system comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of application processes in a host central processing unit; (b) operating said host central processing unit to execute said application processes to thereby generate individual graphics data structure

A method of operating a computer graphics system comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of application processes in a host central processing unit; (b) operating said host central processing unit to execute said application processes to thereby generate individual graphics data structures relating to said application processes, each of said individual graphics data structures containing graphics data and commands representative of an object to be displayed by said computer graphics system; (c) further operating said host central processing unit to store said individual graphics data structures in a memory device; (d) operating a graphics device to continuously and asynchronously traverse said memory device through at least a portion of each of said individual graphics data structures to identify a sequence of certain ones of said individual graphics data structures and to asynchronously read and transmit said graphics data and commands of said certain ones of said individual graphics data structures, in accordance with said sequence, to a graphics subsystem for processing, manipulation and display; and (e) identifying, ordering and setting said sequence of said certain ones of said individual graphics data structures by cooperatively operating said graphics device and said host central processing unit through further execution of said application processes to: (i) selectively generate and control separate traversal requests, each of said separate traversal requests containing information on the mode and type of traversal of a preselected one of said certain ones of said individual graphics data structures; (ii) attach each of said generated traversal requests to the respective preselected one of said certain ones of said individual graphics data structures; and (iii) read and execute each of said traversal requests during the continuous and asynchronous traversal of said memory device to provide graphics processing of a multiple of application processes.