In the rendering pipeline, which stage outputs the final pixel values by combining fragments prior to display?

In the rendering pipeline, which stage outputs the final pixel values by combining fragments prior to display?

• A. Vertex processing
• B. Rasterization
• C. Fragment shading
• D. Output merger

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that the last step in the pipeline is responsible for turning all the fragment results into the actual image that will be shown. After the rasterizer creates fragments and the fragment shader computes each fragment’s color (and depth), the stage that combines those results with the existing framebuffer, applies depth/stencil tests, and performs blending before writing to the render target is the output merger. It is this stage that produces the final pixel values that will be displayed on screen. The earlier stages handle transforming vertices, turning primitives into fragments, and computing per-fragment colors, but the final composition into the image happens in the output merger.

The main idea here is that the last step in the pipeline is responsible for turning all the fragment results into the actual image that will be shown. After the rasterizer creates fragments and the fragment shader computes each fragment’s color (and depth), the stage that combines those results with the existing framebuffer, applies depth/stencil tests, and performs blending before writing to the render target is the output merger. It is this stage that produces the final pixel values that will be displayed on screen. The earlier stages handle transforming vertices, turning primitives into fragments, and computing per-fragment colors, but the final composition into the image happens in the output merger.