Efficient detection of texture sharing between multiple contexts

Abstract

A technique for detecting texture sharing between multiple contexts having unique ID's includes obtaining a texture usage mask of a subject texture and a context ID of a subject context. A first logic operation with the texture usage mask of the subject texture and the context ID of the subject context is performed to produce a resultant value. The subject texture is determined not to be shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value being equal to a first predetermined value. The subject texture is determined to be shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value being equal to a second predetermined value which is different from the first predetermined value. The texture usage mask of a subject texture may be revised prior to the subject texture being used by another context by performing a second logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of another context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture. The texture usage mask of a subject texture may be revised upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by performing a third logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the particular context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.

1 . A method of detecting texture sharing between multiple contexts having unique context ID's: 
 obtaining a texture usage mask of a subject texture;    obtaining an inverted context ID of a subject context;    ANDing the texture usage mask of the subject texture with the inverted context ID of the subject context to produce a resultant value; and    detecting that the subject texture is not being shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value being equal to 0 and detecting that the subject texture is being shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value not being equal to 0.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture prior to the subject texture being used by another context by bitwise ORing the texture usage mask with a context ID of the another context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by deleting a context ID of the particular context from the texture usage mask to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by deleting a context ID of the particular context from the texture usage mask to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       5 . A method of detecting texture sharing between multiple contexts having unique context ID's: 
 obtaining a texture usage mask of a subject texture;    obtaining a context ID of a subject context;    performing a first logic operation with the texture usage mask of the subject texture and the context ID of the subject context to produce a resultant value; and    detecting that the subject texture is not being shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value being equal to a first predetermined value and detecting that the subject texture is being shared by another context upon the resultant value being equal to a second predetermined value which is different from the first predetermined value.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture prior to the subject texture being used by another context by performing a second logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the another context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by performing a third logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the particular context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by performing a third logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the particular context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       9 . A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of detecting texture sharing between multiple contexts having unique context ID's, the method comprising: 
 obtaining a texture usage mask of a subject texture;    obtaining an inverted context ID of a subject context;    ANDing the texture usage mask of the subject texture with the inverted context ID of the subject context to produce a resultant value; and    detecting that the subject texture is not being shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value being equal to 0 and detecting that the subject texture is being shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value not being equal to 0.    
   
   
       10 . The program storage device of  claim 9 , the method further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture prior to the subject texture being used by another context by bitwise ORing the texture usage mask with a context ID of the another context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       11 . The program storage device of  claim 9 , the method further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by deleting a context ID of the particular context from the texture usage mask to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       12 . The program storage device of  claim 11 , the method further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by deleting a context ID of the particular context from the texture usage mask to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       13 . A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of detecting texture sharing between multiple contexts having unique context ID's, the method comprising: 
 obtaining a texture usage mask of a subject texture;    obtaining a context ID of a subject context;    performing a first logic operation with the texture usage mask of the subject texture and the context ID of the subject context to produce a resultant value; and    detecting that the subject texture is not being shared by another context with the subject context upon the resultant value being equal to a first predetermined value and detecting that the subject texture is being shared by another context upon the resultant value being equal to a second predetermined value which is different from the first predetermined value.    
   
   
       14 . The program storage device of  claim 13 , the method further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture prior to the subject texture being used by another context by performing a second logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the another context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       15 . The program storage device of  claim 13 , the method further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by performing a third logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the particular context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.    
   
   
       16 . The program storage device of  claim 15 , the method further comprising: 
 revising the texture usage mask of a subject texture upon the subject texture no longer being used by a particular context by performing a third logic operation with the texture usage mask and a context ID of the particular context to produce a resultant new texture usage mask for the subject texture.