ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pixel pipeline

A pixel pipeline is like a factory that takes in a bunch of little colored blocks (called pixels) and puts them together to make a picture that we can see on our computer screens.

First, the pixel pipeline gets the information from your computer’s memory about what picture you want to see. The pipeline then organizes the information into little bits and sends them to different parts of the pipeline to make the picture.

The first part is called the vertex processor. The vertex processor takes care of moving and positioning the little colored blocks (pixels) so they are in the right place to make the picture.

Next, the pixel processor takes over. The pixel processor looks at each pixel and decides what color it should be based on the information it received from the memory. It then colors the pixels accordingly.

The final part is the frame buffer. The frame buffer takes all the pixels that have been processed and arranges them in the correct order to make the final image.

So, in summary, a pixel pipeline is like a fancy machine that takes all the different pieces of information needed to make a picture and puts them together to make a picture we can see on our computer screens.
Related topics others have asked about: