Rendering a modeled scene

• US 10,462,499 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Outward, Inc. (Williams-Sonoma Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Outward, Inc. (Williams-Sonoma Inc.)
• Inventors: Chui, Clarence
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Yu
• Application Number:
  US14/525,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Techniques for rendering a modeled scene are disclosed. In some embodiments, a database comprising locally available generic object definitions is maintained at a destination device at which a scene is desired to be rendered. A scene is rendered by configuring one or more locally available generic object definitions obtained from the database according to a received specification of a modeled scene, wherein rendering is constrained to rendering locally available objects whose definitions are included in the database.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a local database comprising locally available generic object definitions, wherein the local database is a subset of a global database and is updated with respect to the global database and wherein the local database is hierarchically organized; and

a processor configured to;

in response to a request for content, receive a specification of a modeled scene representing the requested content, wherein the specification of the modeled scene references generic object definitions and wherein the modeled scene is a re-imagined version of the requested content that does not include original pixel information of the requested content; and

render the modeled scene as a representation of the requested content by configuring one or more locally available generic objects from the local database according to the received specification of the modeled scene, wherein the processor is constrained to render objects whose definitions are locally available in the local database;

wherein locally available generic object definitions that populate the local database are received asynchronously with respect to the specification of the modeled scene which is communicated with a lower bandwidth communication and wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, a close match from the locally available generic object definitions in the local database is selected when rendering the scene.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the local database comprises a local version of the global database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the local database is categorically organized.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the local database is updated at prescribed times.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the locally available generic object definitions that populate the local database are received via a high bandwidth communication channel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the specification of the modeled scene is received via a low bandwidth communication channel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the local database is continuously updated.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the local database is periodically updated.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises content specific data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the modeled scene is rendered in a highest quality supported by the system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises a list of objects and parameters that define the modeled scene.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises one or more of object coordinates, object orientations, object motions, scene lighting, camera poses, camera settings, and audio data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a generic object definition comprises data associated with one or more of geometry, material properties, surface textures, and appearance.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, the processor is further configured to obtain the generic object definition from the global database.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, the processor is further configured to receive the generic object definition from the global database.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a first system and further comprising a second system configured to receive the same specification of the modeled scene, wherein the scene is rendered differently by the first system and by the second system based on locally available generic object definitions at each system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a destination device at which the scene is rendered.

18. A method, comprising:

maintaining a local database comprising locally available generic object definitions, wherein the local database is a subset of a global database and is updated with respect to the global database and wherein the local database is hierarchically organized;

in response to a request for content, receiving at an interface a specification of a modeled scene representing the requested content, wherein the specification of the modeled scene references generic object definitions and wherein the modeled scene is a re-imagined version of the requested content that does not include original pixel information of the requested content; and

using a processor to render the modeled scene as a representation of the requested content by configuring one or more locally available generic objects from the local database according to the received specification of the modeled scene, wherein the processor is constrained to render objects whose definitions are locally available in the local database;

wherein locally available generic object definitions that populate the local database are received asynchronously with respect to the specification of the modeled scene which is communicated with a lower bandwidth communication and wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, a close match from the locally available generic object definitions in the local database is selected when rendering the scene.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the local database comprises a local version of the global database.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the local database is categorically organized.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the local database is updated at prescribed times.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the locally available generic object definitions that populate the local database are received via a high bandwidth communication channel.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the specification of the modeled scene is received via a low bandwidth communication channel.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the local database is continuously updated.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the local database is periodically updated.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises content specific data.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the modeled scene is rendered in a highest quality supported.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises a list of objects and parameters that define the modeled scene.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises one or more of object coordinates, object orientations, object motions, scene lighting, camera poses, camera settings, and audio data.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein a generic object definition comprises data associated with one or more of geometry, material properties, surface textures, and appearance.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, further comprising obtaining the generic object definition from the global database.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, further comprising receiving the generic object definition from the global database.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein the scene is rendered differently by different systems that receive the same specification of the modeled scene based on locally available generic object definitions at each system.

34. The method of claim 18, wherein the scene is rendered at a destination device.

35. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer usable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

maintaining a local database comprising locally available generic object definitions wherein the local database is a subset of a global database and is updated with respect to the global database and wherein the local database is hierarchically organized;

in response to a request for content, receiving a specification of a modeled scene representing the requested content, wherein the specification of the modeled scene references generic object definitions and wherein the modeled scene is a re-imagined version of the requested content that does not include original pixel information of the requested content; and

rendering the modeled scene as a representation of the requested content by configuring one or more locally available generic objects from the local database according to the received specification of the modeled scene, wherein rendering is constrained to rendering objects whose definitions are locally available in the local database;

wherein locally available generic object definitions that populate the local database are received asynchronously with respect to the specification of the modeled scene which is communicated with a lower bandwidth communication and wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, a close match from the locally available generic object definitions in the local database is selected when rendering the scene.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the local database comprises a local version of the global database.

37. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the local database is categorically organized.

38. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the local database is updated at prescribed times.

39. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the locally available generic object definitions that populate the local database are received via a high bandwidth communication channel.

40. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the specification of the modeled scene is received via a low bandwidth communication channel.

41. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the local database is continuously updated.

42. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the local database is periodically updated.

43. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises content specific data.

44. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the modeled scene is rendered in a highest quality supported.

45. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises a list of objects and parameters that define the modeled scene.

46. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the specification of the modeled scene comprises one or more of object coordinates, object orientations, object motions, scene lighting, camera poses, camera settings, and audio data.

47. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein a generic object definition comprises data associated with one or more of geometry, material properties, surface textures, and appearance.

48. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, further comprising computer instructions for obtaining the generic object definition from the global database.

49. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein in the event that a generic object definition referenced in the specification of the modeled scene is not locally available in the local database, further comprising computer instructions for receiving the generic object definition from the global database.

50. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the scene is rendered differently by different systems that receive the same specification of the modeled scene based on locally available generic object definitions at each system.

51. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the scene is rendered at a destination device.