Jeffrey George Andrews

US Patent:

6686915, Feb 3, 2004

Filed:

Apr 19, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/838624

Inventors:

Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Webtv Networks, Inc. - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

G06T 1540

US Classification:

345422, 345426

Abstract:

Systems and methods for accurately and realistically rendering a visual effect such as fog, colored liquids, gels, smoke, mists, and the like for which the visual appearance of the effect can change with respect to depth and for which the effect is rendered on a output display so as to be generally contained. Depth values are identified and passed to a visibility function in order to yield corresponding visibility values. An adjusted visibility function blends the obtained visibility values and yields an adjusted visibility value. This process for obtaining an adjusted visibility value is performed for every pixel of a display screen that is used to render the visual effect in order to accurately render the visual effect as it would be perceived in the real world.

US Patent:

6741259, May 25, 2004

Filed:

Aug 24, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/939130

Inventors:

Nicholas R. Baker - Cupertino CA
Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA
Mei-Chi M. Liu - Santa Clara CA

Assignee:

WebTV Networks, Inc. - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

G09G 500

US Classification:

345582, 345583, 345584, 345545, 345552

Abstract:

Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline is used that includes one or more (N) physical texture units and one or more associated frame buffers to emulate a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are actually physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel of a frame. During each texture pass for each pixel of a frame, only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer number of passes. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform the look-ups on a given pass for the correspondingly bound N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes for each pixel are blended by complementary texture blenders to provide composite texture values for each of the pixels of the frame. In successive passes, the frame buffers are used to support any necessary extra temporary data and to store the most current composite texture values for all of the pixels of the frame.

US Patent:

6862027, Mar 1, 2005

Filed:

Jun 30, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/611415

Inventors:

Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA, US
Nicholas R. Baker - Cupertino CA, US
J. Andrew Goossen - Issaquah WA, US
Michael Abrash - Kirkland WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corp. - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F015/80

US Classification:

345505, 345557, 345419, 711122, 382233

Abstract:

A CPU module includes a host element configured to perform a high-level host-related task, and one or more data-generating processing elements configured to perform a data-generating task associated with the high-level host-related task. Each data-generating processing element includes logic configured to receive input data, and logic configured to process the input data to produce output data. The amount of output data is greater than an amount of input data, and the ratio of the amount of input data to the amount of output data defines a decompression ratio. In one implementation, the high-level host-related task performed by the host element pertains to a high-level graphics processing task, and the data-generating task pertains to the generation of geometry data (such as triangle vertices) for use within the high-level graphics processing task. The CPU module can transfer the output data to a GPU module via at least one locked set of a cache memory. The GPU retrieves the output data from the locked set, and periodically forwards a tail pointer to a cacheable location within the data-generating elements that informs the data-generating elements of its progress in retrieving the output data.

US Patent:

6975327, Dec 13, 2005

Filed:

Feb 2, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/770054

Inventors:

Nicholas R. Baker - Cupertino CA, US
Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA, US
Mei-Chi M. Liu - Santa Clara CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G005/00

US Classification:

345582, 345583, 345584, 345545, 345552

Abstract:

Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline that includes (N) physical texture units and one or more associated buffers emulates a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel. During each texture pass only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform look-ups on a given pass for the corresponding N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes are blended by texture blenders to provide composite texture values. In successive passes, the buffers are used for temporary data and the most current composite texture values. The process is repeated until all desired texture maps are applied.

US Patent:

7030887, Apr 18, 2006

Filed:

Nov 12, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/706690

Inventors:

Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G 5/339
G09G 5/02
G06T 17/20
G06T 15/50

US Classification:

345592, 345422, 345426, 345539, 345561

Abstract:

Methods and systems for transparent depth sorting are described. In accordance with one embodiment, multiple depth buffers are utilized to sort depth data associated with multiple transparent pixels that overlie one another. The sorting of the depth data enables identification of an individual transparent pixel that lies closest to an associated opaque pixel. With the closest individual transparent pixel being identified, the transparency effect of the identified pixel relative to the associated opaque pixel is computed. If additional overlying transparent pixels remain, a next closest transparent pixel relative to the opaque pixel is identified and for the next closest pixel, the transparency effect is computed relative to the transparency effect that was just computed.

US Patent:

7095419, Aug 22, 2006

Filed:

Aug 31, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/216251

Inventors:

Nicholas R. Baker - Cupertino CA, US
Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA, US
Mei-Chi M. Liu - Santa Clara CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G 5/00

US Classification:

345582, 345583, 345584, 345545, 345552

Abstract:

Systems and methods for providing multi-pass rendering of three-dimensional objects. A rendering pipeline that includes (N) physical texture units and one or more associated buffers emulates a rendering pipeline containing more texture units (M) than are physically present (N). Multiple rendering passes are performed for each pixel. During each texture pass only N sets of texture coordinates are passed to the texture units. The number of passes required through the pipeline to emulate M texture units is M/N, rounded up to the next integer. The N texture units of the rendering pipeline perform look-ups on a given pass for the corresponding N texture maps. The texture values obtained during the texture passes are blended by texture blenders to provide composite texture values. In successive passes, the buffers are used for temporary data and the most current composite texture values. The process is repeated until all desired texture maps are applied.

US Patent:

7116337, Oct 3, 2006

Filed:

Feb 1, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/275878

Inventors:

Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G 5/02
G06T 15/20
G06T 17/20
G09G 5/339

US Classification:

345592, 345422, 345426, 345539, 345561

Abstract:

Methods and systems for transparent depth sorting are described. In accordance with one embodiment, multiple depth buffers are utilized to sort depth data associated with multiple transparent pixels that overlie one another. The sorting of the depth data enables identification of an individual transparent pixel that lies closest to an associated opaque pixel. With the closest individual transparent pixel being identified, the transparency effect of the identified pixel relative to the associated opaque pixel is computed. If additional overlying transparent pixels remain, a next closest transparent pixel relative to the opaque pixel is identified and, for the next closest pixel, the transparency effect is computed relative to the transparency effect that was just computed.

US Patent:

7333114, Feb 19, 2008

Filed:

Dec 30, 2004

Appl. No.:

11/027454

Inventors:

Jeffrey A. Andrews - Sunnyvale CA, US
Nicholas R. Baker - Cupertino CA, US
J. Andrew Goossen - Issaquah WA, US
Michael Abrash - Kirkland WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16
G06F 12/00
G09G 5/36

US Classification:

345503, 345557, 711118

Abstract:

A CPU module includes a host element configured to perform a high-level host-related task, and one or more data-generating processing elements configured to perform a data-generating task associated with the high-level host-related task. Each data-generating processing element includes logic configured to receive input data, and logic configured to process the input data to produce output data. The amount of output data is greater than an amount of input data, and the ratio of the amount of input data to the amount of output data defines a decompression ratio. In one implementation, the high-level host-related task performed by the host element pertains to a high-level graphics processing task, and the data-generating task pertains to the generation of geometry data (such as triangle vertices) for use within the high-level graphics processing task. The CPU module can transfer the output data to a GPU module via at least one locked set of a cache memory. The GPU retrieves the output data from the locked set, and periodically forwards a tail pointer to a cacheable location within the data-generating elements that informs the data-generating elements of its progress in retrieving the output data.