Three dimensional rendering including motion sorting

Abstract

The present invention determines that an object is moving within a scene. At run time, the number of primitives used to represent the moving object is reduced. The degree of reduction can be related to the amount of motion, i.e. speed, of the moving object. The moving object is then rendered based on the reduced number of primitives saving time and memory bandwidth.

1 .- 22 . (canceled)  
   
   
       23 . A method, comprising: 
 determining that an object is moving;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the moving object based on the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said step of determining that an object is moving includes the step of comparing the position of the object from a scene to be rendered to the position of the object in a rendered scene.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said reducing step includes the step of performing a polygon reduction algorithm on a model of the moving object.  
   
   
       26 . A method, comprising: 
 identifying relative motion between a first and a second object;    determining which of the first and second objects is in motion and which is stationary;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the distance the object has moved to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the moving object based on the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures and rendering the stationary object based on a model of said stationary object.    
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said identifying step includes the step of comparing the positions of the first and second objects from a scene to be rendered to the positions of the first and second objects in a rendered scene.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said reducing step includes the step of performing a polygon reduction algorithm on a model of the moving object.  
   
   
       29 . A method, comprising: 
 determining that an object is moving with respect to a viewpoint;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the distance the object has moved to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the object based on said comparing; and    rendering the object using the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said step of determining that an object is moving includes the step of comparing the position of the object from a scene to be rendered to the position of the object in a rendered scene.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said reducing step includes the step of performing a polygon reduction algorithm on a model of the moving object.  
   
   
       32 . A method, comprising: 
 identifying relative motion between a first object, a second object, and a viewpoint;    determining which objects are in motion and which are stationary;    determining the degree of motion of said objects;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the objects considered to be in motion using the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32  wherein said identifying step includes the step of comparing the positions of the first and second objects from a scene to be rendered to the positions of the first and second objects in a rendered scene.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 32  wherein said reducing step includes the step of performing a polygon reduction algorithm on the model of the moving object.  
   
   
       35 . A method of rendering 3D images in real time, comprising: 
 comparing the position of a plurality of objects in one scene to each object's position in another scene;    determining if the position of any of the objects has changed;    comparing the degree to which an object's position has changed to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    performing a reduction algorithm in run time in response to said comparing on models representing the moving objects to produce models having a reduced number of multi-sided closed figures;    rendering each object using one of the model representing the object and the model having the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures to produce a scene;    displaying the rendered scene; and    repeating the previous steps.    
   
   
       36 . A computer readable medium carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 determining that an object is moving;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on the comparing; and    rendering the moving object based on the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       37 . A computer readable medium carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 identifying relative motion between a first and a second object;    determining which of the first and second objects is in motion and which is stationary;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the moving object based on the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures and rendering the stationary object based on a model representing the stationary object.    
   
   
       38 . A computer readable medium carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 determining that an object is moving with respect to a viewpoint;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the object based on the comparing; and    rendering the object using the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       39 . A computer readable medium carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 identifying relative motion between a first object, a second object, and a viewpoint;    determining which objects are in motion and which are stationary;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the object based on the comparing; and    rendering the objects in motion using the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       40 . A computer readable medium carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 comparing the position of a plurality of objects in one scene to each object's position in another scene;    determining if the position of any of the objects has changed;    comparing the degree to which an object's position has changed to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    performing a reduction algorithm in run time in response to said comparing on models representing the moving objects to produce models having a reduced number of multi-sided closed figures;    rendering each object using one of the model representing the object and the model having the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures to produce a scene;    displaying the rendered scene; and    repeating the previous steps.    
   
   
       41 . A system, comprising: a processor; a memory controller responsive to said processor; and a computer readable memory device responsive to said memory controller, said memory device carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 determining that an object is moving;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the moving object based on the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 41  additionally comprising a graphics system responsive to said processor and an output device responsive to said processor.  
   
   
       43 . A system, comprising: 
 a processor; a memory controller responsive to said processor; and a computer readable memory device responsive to said memory controller, said memory device carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 identifying relative motion between a first and a second object;  
 determining which of the first and second objects is in motion and which is stationary;  
 determining the degree of motion of said object;  
 comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;  
 reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and  
 rendering the moving object based on the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures and rendering the stationary object based on a model representing said stationary object.  
   
   
   
       44 . The system of  claim 43  additionally comprising a graphics system responsive to said processor and an output device responsive to said processor.  
   
   
       45 . A system, comprising: a processor; a memory controller responsive to said processor; and a computer readable memory device responsive to said memory controller, said memory device carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 determining that an object is moving with respect to a viewpoint;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the object using the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       46 . The system of  claim 45  additionally comprising a graphics system responsive to said processor and an output device responsive to said processor.  
   
   
       47 . A system, comprising: a processor; a memory controller responsive to said processor; and a computer readable memory device responsive to said memory controller, said memory device carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 identifying relative motion between a first object, a second object, and a viewpoint;    determining which objects are in motion and which are stationary;    determining the degree of motion of said object;    comparing the degree of motion to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    reducing at run time the number of multi-sided closed figures used to represent the moving object based on said comparing; and    rendering the objects considered to be in motion using the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures.    
   
   
       48 . The system of  claim 47  additionally comprising a graphics system responsive to said processor and an output device responsive to said processor.  
   
   
       49 . A system, comprising: a processor; a memory controller responsive to said processor; and a computer readable memory device responsive to said memory controller, said memory device carrying an ordered set of instructions which, when executed, performs a method comprising: 
 comparing the position of a plurality of objects in one scene to each object's position in another scene;    determining if the position of any of the objects has changed;    comparing the degree to which an object's position has changed to a variable threshold related to the size of a plurality of multi-sided closed figures representing the object;    performing a reduction algorithm in run time in response to said comparing on models representing the moving objects to produce models having a reduced number of multi-sided closed figures;    rendering each object using one of the model representing the object and the model having the reduced number of multi-sided closed figures to produce a scene;    displaying the rendered scene; and    repeating the previous steps.    
   
   
       50 . The system of  claim 49  additionally comprising a graphics system responsive to said processor and an output device responsive to said processor.