The graphics engine in SH7770 employs a display list type rendering architecture. (The display list refers to a set of rendering commands for lines, polygons, etc.) The CPU generates command lines for rendering to be stored in an external memory as a display list and, at a time of rendering, the graphics engine directly reads out the content of the display list so as to execute rendering processing. The latest software is capable of partially updating the content of the display list which indicates roads and buildings on the map, menu, icons and so on because elements of the display list can be managed on the basis of content to be displayed. Therefore, Renesas claims that the processing load resulting from updating the content displayed on the screen can be significantly reduced so that the processing performance of a wide array of sophisticated graphics application software is improved by approximately 50% compared to the company's previous products. Thus far, the display list must be reconfigured when the display content is changed because the list cannot be updated partially.
Along with the 2D rendering function, the software integrates a series of functions required in graphics processing, for example management function of the memory areas used at the time of rendering, and display control function to display rendering results on the LCD panels and other screen, into a single package. The adoption of the API provided by the latest software facilitates users to create programs for use in graphics application software.
