Display of visual images by fractional color gradient increments
View Patent ↗Displaying visual images by fractional color gradient increments. Distances between adjacent pairs of color shades in a color gradient are scaled down to distances of which the largest is one. The scaled distances are converted into fractions. A largest common denominator of the fractions is determined. The fractions are converted into fractions having the largest common denominator. Numerators of the converted fractions are used to provide samples of the color gradient at intervals of the largest common denominator. A texture is created from the samples. A visual image is displayed on a visual display according to the texture.
1. A method of displaying visual images by fractional color gradient increments, the method comprising:
scaling distances between adjacent pairs of color shades in a color gradient down to scaled distances of which the largest is one;
converting the scaled distances into fractions;
determining a largest common denominator of the fractions;
converting the fractions into fractions having the largest common denominator;
using numerators of the converted fractions to provide samples of the color gradient at intervals of the largest common denominator;
creating a texture from the samples; and
displaying a visual image according to the texture on a visual display.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein scaling the distances comprises dividing the value of each distance by the value of the largest distance.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein converting the scaled distances into fractions comprises using at least one of prime factorization and Euclid's algorithm.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the largest common denominator comprises determining a least common multiple.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein creating the texture comprises linear interpolation between the samples.
6. A graphics display system that displays visual images by fractional color gradient increments, the system comprising:
a graphics processor;
a memory;
a bus connecting the graphics processor, the memory, and an electronic appliance; and
gradient pattern machine instructions in the memory, the graphics processor responsive to the instructions to scale distances between adjacent pairs of color shades in a color gradient down to scaled distances of which the largest is one, convert the scaled distances into fractions, determine a largest common denominator of the fractions, convert the fractions into fractions having the largest common denominator, provide samples of the color gradient at intervals of the largest common denominator, create a texture from the samples, generate a visual image according to the texture, and transmit the visual image to the electronic appliance for display.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the memory comprises a cache memory.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein the machine instructions cause the graphics processor to scale the set of distances by dividing the value of each distance by the value of the largest distance.
9. The system of claim 6 wherein the machine instructions cause the graphics processor to determine the largest common denominator by determining a least common multiple.
10. The system of claim 6 wherein the machine instructions cause the graphics processor to create the texture by linear interpolation between the samples.
11. A computer system in which visual images are displayed by fractional color gradient increments, the system comprising:
a central processing unit;
a graphics processing unit;
memory;
input/output facilities including a visual display; and
gradient pattern machine instructions in the memory, the central processing unit and the graphics processing unit responsive to the instructions to scale distances between adjacent pairs of color shades in a color gradient down to scaled distances of which the largest is one, convert the scaled distances into fractions, determine a largest common denominator of the fractions, convert the fractions into fractions having the largest common denominator, provide samples of the color gradient at intervals of the largest common denominator, create a texture from the samples, generate a visual image according to the texture, and cause the image to be displayed on the visual display.
12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the memory comprises at least one of a random-access memory, a read-only memory, a cache memory associated with the graphics processing unit, a cache memory associated with the central processing unit, and disk storage.
13. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the instructions cause the graphics processor to scale the set of distances by dividing the value of each distance by the value of the largest distance to obtain a set of fractions, and reducing the fractions.
14. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the instructions cause the graphics processor to scale the set of distances by scaling each distance to a decimal value of which the largest is one, and converting each decimal value into an integer fraction.
15. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the instructions cause the graphics processor to use a fraction of which the numerator is one and the denominator is the largest common denominator as the increment for interpolating.