A display list is a sequence of commands that instructs how to draw an object on a screen or output device, increasing speed and efficiency. It saves the GPU from performing the same calculations every time a scene is drawn and can store information in graphics card memory. However, creating many lists can use more computer memory and affect graphics card performance.
A CG display list is a sequence of commands that, when executed, provide instructions on how to draw an object on the screen or other output device. The purpose of using a display list is to increase the speed and efficiency of the scenes that are rendered, as well as to make programming source code easier to read. Several types of software and hardware use a display list to show objects, including vector graphics editing software, some game console systems, and some computer graphics libraries. One aspect of using a display list that can make it unfeasible for certain applications is that, once added to a list, the statements cannot be changed, i.e. the object represented by the command list must remain exactly the same. same every time it is rendered.
One important use for a display list is to save the graphics processing unit (GPU) inside a computer from having to perform the same sequence of calculations every time a scene is drawn to the output device. By adding graphics commands to a list and then instructing the software that uses the list to compile the commands, all of the calculations for display are performed and stored in memory. This means that most of the calculations have already been done each time the object is drawn. When an object needs to be drawn multiple times within a single scene, it can be done much more quickly using a single display list.
There are several functions that a display list can perform once all commands have been loaded. For an object that uses an image as a texture, the image’s original color depth and other properties can be translated into the format required for your resolution and graphics card. Surface materials, especially if layered, can be calculated in advance, saving a significant amount of time during the final render. In addition to other calculations performed before rendering, the compiled list information may be stored in graphics card memory rather than in separate computer memory or virtual memory. Having the information needed by the GPU stored in the physical hardware card itself can increase rendering speed, because it will be able to travel much faster to the processor.
The tradeoff for using a display list is that the calculations need to be stored somewhere. This means that creating many lists could potentially use much more computer memory than would otherwise be required. This may be due to the number of polygons an object requires or the size of an image to be placed in texture memory. For complex scenes, the size of the lists may exceed the amount of available memory and affect graphics card performance.
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