Three Dimensional Graphics Algorithms on theMicro - Grain Array Processor - IIBenjamin

Three-dimensional graphics processors play a central role in many modern computer systems due to the large demand for entertainment, visual-ization tools, architectural CAD tools, and physical modeling. But high performance graphics subsystems are just beginning to reach the commercial workstation and personal computer markets. They also remain high priced and often lacking the performance needed for graphics-intensive applications. The root of the problem lies in the complex graphics algorithms that require large amounts of object data to be manipulated with high throughput, such as what is required for ray tracing. This has resulted in complex, real-time 3D graphics to be limited to high-end systems. In this paper, we present a library of 3D graphics algorithms that have been mapped to the Micro-Grain Array Processor (MGAP), an inexpensive and versatile SIMD processing board capable of tting in a typical workstation. Our results show that the MGAP can produce comparable data throughput as more costly graphics subsystems, while maintaining the exibility of being a general purpose parallel machine. The increasing demand for three dimensional graphics on low end workstations and personal computers has brought on the need for inexpensive architectures capable of meeting the high throughput requirements of a graphics subsystem. In order to support real-time 3D graphics, the subsystem will need to implement the transformation and rasterizations stages of the graphics pipeline 8] in hardware. In the transformation stage, the vertices deening the objects to be displayed are transformed to screen pixel coordinates, typically using a matrix stack of aane transformations within a homogeneous space. The rasteri-zation stage receives the transformed vertices, and converts them into pixels in the frame buuer either by spanning the polygons or by ray tracing. The transformation and raster-ization stages can be expected to operate on millions of polygons per second in order to 1