Framework for graphics animation and compositing operations

• US 20080034292A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Harper, John, Graffagnino, Peter, Brunner, Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

A framework for performing graphics animation and compositing operations has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or any other type of object for a user interface of an application. The application commits change to the state of the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state. In determining the animation, the framework can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility, and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer for display on the computer system. Those portions of the render tree that have changed relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a user interface of an application operating on a computer system, the method comprising:

constructing a first data structure by interfacing with the application, the first data structure having first objects associated with the user interface of the application;

constructing a second data structure separate from the first data structure, the second data structure having second objects associated with the first objects of the first data structure;

receiving from the application a change for at least a portion of the first data structure from a first state to a second state;

changing the portion of first data structure from the first state to the second state;

determining an animation for animating the change of the portion of the first data structure from the first state to the second state; and

rendering from the second data structure for display with the computer system by implementing the determined animation on the second data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second objects comprises layers selected from the group consisting of an image layer, a graphic layer, text layer, a vector layer, and a media layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the layers are defined by a property selected from the group consisting of a position, a coordinate system, a transform, and a relationship to another layer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data structure comprises a hierarchy of the first objects having an arrangement of relationships to one another.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data structure is substantially the same as the first data structure, and wherein constructing the second data structure further comprises adding an animation object defining the determined animation to the second data structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving from the application the change for the portion of the first data structure from the first state to the second state comprises receiving from the application the second state in a batch of second states for a plurality of the first objects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of rendering the second data structure comprises traversing the second data structure for display at a frame rate of the computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving is performed on a first processing thread, and wherein the act of rendering is performed on a different processing thread.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the animation for animating the change of the portion of the first data structure from the first state to the second state comprises selecting the animation from a predetermined set of animations based on the change.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the change from the first state to the second state comprises a motion of at least one of the first objects from a first position to a second position for display, and wherein the act of determining the animation comprises selecting a motion-based animation for animating the motion of the second object associated with the at least one first object from the first position to the second position.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the change from the first state to the second state comprises an addition of at least one of the first objects to the first data structure or a deletion of at least one of the first objects from the first data structure, and wherein the act of determining the animation comprises selecting a visibility-based animation for animating the addition or the deletion of a second object associated with the at least one first object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the change from the first state to the second state comprises a replacement of at least one of the first objects with at least one new first object in the first data structure, and wherein the act of determining the animation comprises selecting a transition-based animation for animating the replacement of the second object associated with the at least one first object with a new second object associated with the at least one new first object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the animation is selected from the group consisting of a paced motion of the second object, a linear motion of the second object, a discrete motion of the second object, a fading of the second object from visibility for display, a revealing of the second object into visibility for display, a moving of the second object into visibility for display, a moving of the second object out of visibility for display, a pushing of the second object into visibility for display, a pushing of the second object out of visibility for display, a swirling of the second object into visibility for display, and a swirling of the second object out of visibility for display.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the animation is selected from a group consisting of an application of a filter to the second object, an modification of an attribute of the second object, a modification of a property of the second object, and a modification of a value associated with the second object.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of implementing the animation comprises implementing a timing function for the animation, the timing function selected from the group consisting of a segment of a function describing a timing curve, a linear timing function, a timing function for easing into the animation, a timing function for easing out of the animation, and a timing function for easing first into and then out of the animation.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of implementing the animation comprises implementing a direction for the animation.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of implementing the determined animation on the portion of the second data structure comprises:

changing each affected one of the second objects in a plurality of transactions;

marking each affected one of the second objects as changed relative to its immediate prior version in each transaction, and

rendering only the affected ones of the second objects in each of the transactions that is marked as changed form its immediate prior version.

18. A programmable storage device having program instructions stored thereon for causing a programmable control device to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 through 17.

19. An application programming interface framework for rendering a user interface of an application operating on a computer system, the framework comprising:

a first process configured to—

interface with the application,

construct a first data structure of first objects based on the user interface of the application,

change states of the first objects in the first data structure in response to changes received from the application;

a second process configured to construct a second data structure of second objects associated with the first objects of the first data structure;

an animation and compositing process configured to—

determine one or more animations for animating the changes in states to the first objects in the first data structure; and

implement the one or more animations on the associated second objects in the second data structure; and

a render engine configured to render the second data structure of the second objects and implemented animation for display with the computer system.

20. An application programming interface framework for a computer system, comprising:

a first interface interfacing with an application and building a first representation of a user interface of an application, the first interface receiving a change in state of an object of the user interface of the application and implementing the change in state to the first representation of the user interface;

a second interface interfacing with the first interface and receiving the change in state of the first representation of the user interface, the second interface determining an animation for animating the change in state; and

a third interface interfacing with the second interface and building a second representation of the user interface of the application, the second interface implementing the animation in the second representation of the user interface and making the second representation available for rendering by the computer system.

21. A method of handling memory for rendering a user interface of an application on a computer system, the method comprising

storing user interface information from the application to a first buffer;

receiving a first update region to the user interface information from the application;

storing the user interface information from the first buffer into a second buffer except for the first update region;

rendering from the second buffer for display on the computer system; and

marking the first buffer as purgeable.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining whether the first buffer has been reclaimed in response to receiving a second update region from the application.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein if the first buffer has not been reclaimed, the method further comprises using the first buffer again.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining whether the first buffer has been reclaimed in response to receiving a second update region from the application; and

using the first buffer again if it has not been reclaimed.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein using the first buffer again comprises updating the first buffer if necessary.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein using the first buffer again comprises:

copying the user interface information from the first buffer into a new second buffer except for the second update region;

rendering from the new second buffer for display on the computer system; and

marking the first buffer as purgeable.