Bit BLIT (which stands for bit-block [image] transfer but is pronounced bit blit) is a computer graphics operation in which several bitmaps are combined into one using a raster operator.[1]
The operation involves at least two bitmaps, a source and destination, and possibly a third that is often called the "mask". The pixels of each are combined bitwise according to the specified raster operation (ROP) and the result is then written to the destination. The RasterOp is essentially a boolean formula. The most obvious ROP overwrites the destination with the source. Other ROPs may involve AND, OR, XOR, and NOT operations.[1] The Commodore Amiga's graphics chipset could combine three bitmaps according to any of 256 logic functions of three variables.
Modern graphics hardware and software has almost completely replaced bitwise operations with mathematical operations such as alpha compositing. This is because bitwise operations on color displays do not produce results that resemble the physical combination of lights or inks. Some software still uses XOR to draw interactive highlight rectangles; when this is done to color images the unusual resulting colors are easily seen.
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The name derives from the BitBLT routine for the Xerox Alto computer, standing for bit block transfer. This operation was created by Dan Ingalls, Larry Tesler, Bob Sproull, and Diana Merry at Xerox PARC in November 1975 for the Smalltalk-72 system. For the Smalltalk-74 system, Dan Ingalls later implemented a redesigned version in microcode.
The development of fast methods for various bit blit operations was key in the evolution of computer displays from using character graphics, to using bitmap graphics for everything. Machines that rely heavily on the performance of 2D graphics (such as video game consoles) often have special-purpose circuitry called a blitter.
A classic use for blitting is to render transparent sprites onto a background. In this example a background image, a sprite, and a 1-bit mask are used. As the mask is 1-bit, there is no possibility for partial transparency via alpha blending.
A loop that examines each bit in the mask and copies the pixel from the sprite only if the mask is set will be much slower than hardware that can apply exactly the same operation to every pixel. Instead a masked blit can be implemented with two regular BitBlit operations using the AND and OR raster operations.
| Background image | Sprite (left) and mask (right) |
|---|---|
The sprite is drawn in various positions over the image to produce this:
| Intended Result |
|---|
When preparing the sprite and mask, the colors are very important. The mask pixels are 0 (black) wherever the corresponding sprite pixel is to be displayed, and 1 (white) wherever the background needs to be preserved. The sprite must be 0 (black) anywhere where it is supposed to be transparent, but note that black can be used in the non-transparent regions.
In the first blit, the mask is blitted onto the background using the raster operator of AND. Because any value ANDed with 0 equals 0, and any value ANDed with 1 is unchanged, black areas are created where the actual sprites will appear, while leaving the rest of the background alone.
| Result of the first blit |
|---|
In the second blit, the sprite is blitted onto the newly altered background using the raster operator of OR. Because any value ORed with 0 is unchanged, the background is unaffected and the black areas are filled with the actual sprite image.
| Final result |
|---|
It is also possible to achieve the same effect using a sprite with a white background and a white-on-black mask. In this case, the mask would be ORed first, and the sprite ANDed next.
Blitting is similar to hardware-sprite drawing, in that both systems reproduce a pattern, typically a square area, at different locations on the screen. Hardware sprites have the advantage of being stored in separate memory, and therefore don't disturb the main display memory. This allows them to be moved about the display, covering the "background", with no effect on it.
Blitting moves the same types of patterns about the screen, but does so by writing into the same memory as the rest of the display. This means every time the pattern is placed on the screen, the display "under" it is overwritten, or "damaged". It is up to the software to clean this damage up by blitting twice, once to remove the damage, and then again to place the bit in its new location. However, there are several ways to optimize this. If large areas of the screen are taken over by the patterns, it may be more efficient to blit the background to the screen instead of erasing each pattern individually. A variation involves dividing the screen into segments and erasing only the segments where patterns have been drawn on. This technique is known as dirty rectangles.
As one might imagine, this makes blitting significantly slower than sprite manipulation. However blitting has one very big advantage: there's no physical limit to the number of patterns you can blit, or to the size of the patterns. Thus you can use blitting to display anything on the screen, including simulating sprites (through the double-write pattern noted above), or even text.