Antialiasing image generation apparatus for selecting an antialiasing technique to be applied to a pixel using pixel data

1. An antialiasing image generation apparatus for performing antialiasing processing and generating a graphics image on which the antialiasing processing has been performed, the antialiasing processing being performed for smoothly displaying a polygon that is in three-dimensional space having a depth represented by a Z value when a three-dimensional image constituted by the polygon is rendered in a two-dimensional plane, the antialiasing image generation apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed, cause said processor to perform:

acquiring an average value of a plurality of Z values in the three-dimensional image;

reading polygon data indicating the polygon from a memory and expanding expand the read polygon data into display coordinates;

generating, for each of a plurality of pixels in a region where the polygon has been rendered, pixel data that includes a Z value at a representative point of the pixel from the polygon data expanded in said expanding;

selecting, for each of the pixels, an antialiasing technique applied to the pixel from among a plurality of antialiasing techniques, using the Z value included in the pixel data generated corresponding to the pixel in said generating and the average value acquired in said acquiring; and

generating the graphics image by, for each of the pixels, performing the antialiasing processing on the pixel according to the antialiasing technique selected corresponding to the pixel in said selecting,

wherein said selecting includes (i) determining a threshold value using the average value acquired in said acquiring, (ii) when the Z value included in the pixel data is the same as the threshold value or smaller than the threshold value, selecting a first antialiasing technique, and (iii) when the Z value included in the pixel data is greater than the threshold value, selecting a second antialiasing technique that requires a smaller number of calculations per pixel than the first antialiasing technique.

2. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said selecting selects the antialiasing technique from among the antialiasing techniques that each require a different number of calculations per pixel.

3. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said acquiring acquires the average value from a Z buffer in which the Z values in the three-dimensional image that serves as a current rendering target are stored.

4. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said acquiring acquires the average value from a Z buffer in which the Z values in the three-dimensional image that serves as a past rendering target are stored.

5. An antialiasing image generation apparatus for performing antialiasing processing and generating a graphics image on which the antialiasing processing has been performed, the antialiasing processing being performed for smoothly displaying a polygon that is in three-dimensional space having a depth represented by a Z value when a three-dimensional image constituted by the polygon is rendered in a two-dimensional plane, the antialiasing image generation apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed, cause said processor to perform:

acquiring distribution information that indicates a distribution of a plurality of Z values in the three-dimensional image;

reading polygon data indicating the polygon from a memory and expanding the read polygon data into display coordinates;

generating, for each of a plurality of pixels in a region where the polygon has been rendered, pixel data that includes a Z value at a representative point of the pixel from the polygon data expanded in said expanding;

selecting, for each of the pixels, an antialiasing technique applied to the pixel from among a plurality of antialiasing techniques, using the Z value included in the pixel data generated corresponding to the pixel in said generating and the distribution information acquired in said acquiring;

generating the graphics image by, for each of the pixels, performing the antialiasing processing on the pixel according to the antialiasing technique selected corresponding to the pixel in said selecting; and

determining a reference deviation value that serves as a reference for selecting the antialiasing technique from among the plurality of antialiasing techniques,

wherein said acquiring acquires an average value and a standard deviation of the Z values as the distribution information, and

said selecting includes, for each of the pixels, (i) calculating a deviation value of the Z value included in the pixel data generated corresponding to the pixel in said generating, using the average value and the standard deviation acquired in said acquiring and (ii) selecting the antialiasing technique applied to the pixel, using the deviation value calculated corresponding to the pixel and the reference deviation value determined in said determining.

6. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein said determining determines the reference deviation value by determining a ratio at which each of the antialiasing techniques is selected, from an assumed number of processing steps and the number of processing steps executed and comparing the determined ratio with a cumulative percentage of a normal distribution curve, the assumed number of processing steps being the number of processing steps assumed to be executed per pixel as an objective, and the number of processing steps executed being the number of processing steps executed per pixel according to each of the antialiasing techniques.

7. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein when executed, the executable instructions cause said processor to perform measuring the number of processing steps executed, and

wherein said determining determines the reference deviation value by determining the ratio from the assumed number of processing steps and the number of processing steps executed that is measured in said measuring when the three-dimensional image that serves as a past rendering target is rendered.

8. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein said selecting includes (i) when the calculated deviation value is the same as the reference deviation value or smaller than the reference deviation value, selecting a first antialiasing technique and (ii) when the calculated deviation value is greater than the reference deviation value, selecting a second antialiasing technique that requires a smaller number of calculations per pixel than the first antialiasing technique.

9. The antialiasing image generation apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said selecting (i) selects a supersampling method as the first antialiasing technique and (ii) selects a multi-sampling method as the second antialiasing technique.

10. An antialiasing image generation method for performing antialiasing processing and generating a graphics image on which the antialiasing processing has been performed, the antialiasing processing being performed for smoothly displaying a polygon that is in three-dimensional space having a depth represented by a Z value when a three-dimensional image constituted by the polygon is rendered in a two-dimensional plane, the antialiasing image generation method comprising:

acquiring an average value of a plurality of Z values in the three-dimensional image;

reading polygon data indicating the polygon from a memory and expanding the read polygon data into display coordinates;

generating, for each of pixels in a region where the polygon has been rendered, pixel data that includes a Z value at a representative point of the pixel from the polygon data expanded in said expanding;

using a processor to perform selecting, for each of the pixels, an antialiasing technique applied to the pixel from among a plurality of antialiasing techniques, using the Z value included in the pixel data generated corresponding to the pixel in said generating and the average value acquired in said acquiring; and

generating, for each of the pixels, the graphics image by performing the antialiasing processing on the pixel according to the antialiasing technique selected corresponding to the pixel in said selecting,

wherein said selecting includes (i) determining a threshold value using the average value acquired in said acquiring, (ii) when the Z value included in the pixel data is the same as the threshold value or smaller than the threshold value, selecting a first antialiasing technique, and (iii) when the Z value included in the pixel data is greater than the threshold value, selecting a second antialiasing technique that requires a smaller number of calculations per pixel than the first antialiasing technique.

11. An integrated circuit for performing antialiasing processing and generating a graphics image on which the antialiasing processing has been performed, the antialiasing processing being performed for smoothly displaying a polygon that is in three-dimensional space having a depth represented by a Z value when a three-dimensional image constituted by the polygon is rendered in a two-dimensional plane, the integrated circuit comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed, cause said processor to perform:

acquiring an average value of a plurality of Z values in the three-dimensional image;

reading polygon data indicating the polygon from a memory and expanding the read polygon data into display coordinates;

generating, for each of pixels in a region where the polygon has been rendered, pixel data that includes a Z value at a representative point of the pixel from the polygon data expanded in said expanding;

selecting, for each of the pixels, an antialiasing technique applied to the pixel from among a plurality of antialiasing techniques, using the Z value included in the pixel data generated corresponding to the pixel in said generating and the average value acquired in said acquiring; and

generating the graphics image by, for each of the pixels, performing the antialiasing processing on the pixel according to the antialiasing technique selected corresponding to the pixel in said selecting,

wherein said selecting includes (i) determining a threshold value using the average value acquired in said acquiring, (ii) when the Z value included in the pixel data is the same as the threshold value or smaller than the threshold value, selecting a first antialiasing technique, and (iii) when the Z value included in the pixel data is greater than the threshold value, selecting a second antialiasing technique that requires a smaller number of calculations per pixel than the first antialiasing technique.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that records a program for causing a computer to execute the steps included in the antialiasing image generation method according to claim 10 .