2-2 Hardware Processes

2-2-1 RCP Process

• Create the display list in RDRAM.
• Post the pointer to the display list to the RSP and load the graphics microcode into the RSP.
• Designate the transfer of the data, transferred to the frame buffer from the RCP, to the VI.

2-2-2 RCP Process

Receive the necessary parameter for drawing from the CPU as the display list and execute the coordinate calculation and the drawing calculation. These drawing processes execute inside of the RCP separating into the following blocks:

• RSP (Reality Signal Processor)
• RDP (Reality Display Processor)
• VI (Video Interface)

2-2-3 RSP Process

• Execute the graphics microcode transferred from RDRAM by the CPU.
• Accept the display list within RDRAM and perform vertex conversions and other calculations.
• Transfer the drawing instructions to the RDP.

• matrix stack manipulation process
• 3D geometry conversion process
• Lighting process
• Clipping process to remove objects and parts of objects that lie outside the view and clipping the backs of objects
• Illumination and the reflection mapping process
• Setup process for polygons and line rasterization process

2-2-4 RDP Process

The RDP manipulates the data that the RSP converted to form the actual display data. Then it writes the display data to the frame buffer in RDRAM.

• Rasterizing
• Texturing
• Filtering
• Color blending
• Anti-aliasing
• Drawing translucent polygons
• Processing the surfaces that lie between polygons
• Applying fog
• Dithering
• Completing scissoring calculations

2-2-5 VI Process

The VI process sends the data currently residing in the frame buffer to the video DAC.

Figure2-2-2 VI Process

2-2-6 Video DAC Process

The video DAC is a piece of hardware that actually outputs the displayable video signal on the TV monitor by converting the digital data transferred from the VI into analog data that can be viewed on the screen.

Figure 2-2-3 Video DAC Process