SCRIPT CONTROL FOR LIP ANIMATION IN A SCENE GENERATED BY A COMPUTER RENDERING ENGINE

• US 20090184967A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DigiMedia Tech, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Quonsil PL 3 LLC
• Inventors: Kulas, Charles J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,674,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/08 Bandwidth reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/04 Animation description language
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/08 Animation software package
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/12 Rule based animation

Abstract

A system for controlling a rendering engine by using specialized commands. The commands are used to generate a production, such as a television show, at an end-user'"'"'s computer that executes the rendering engine. In one embodiment, the commands are sent over a network, such as the Internet, to achieve broadcasts of video programs at very high compression and efficiency. Commands for setting and moving camera viewpoints, animating characters, and defining or controlling scenes and sounds are described. At a fine level of control math models and coordinate systems can be used make specifications. At a coarse level of control the command language approaches the text format traditionally used in television or movie scripts. Simple names for objects within a scene are used to identify items, directions and paths. Commands are further simplified by having the rendering engine use defaults when specifications are left out. For example, when a camera direction is not specified, the system assumes that the viewpoint is to be the current action area. The system provides a hierarchy of detail levels. Movement commands can be defaulted or specified. Synchronized speech can be specified as digital audio or as text which is used to synthesize the speech.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A method for controlling a rendering engine to produce audio, the method comprising

receiving an electronic representation of human speech;

and

using the electronic representation to animate lip movement in a character displayed on a display device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic representation includes a waveform.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising

receiving animation information for animating lip movement in accordance with the received electronic representation of human speech.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the received animation information includes digital video.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic representation includes text representation, the method further comprising

performing speech synthesis in response to the received electronic representation.

11. A control program embodied on a computer-readable medium for controlling a rendering engine, the control program including

one or more instructions for receiving an electronic representation of human speech;

and

one or more instructions for using the electronic representation to animate lip movement in a character displayed on a display device.

12. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising

one or more instructions for receiving an electronic representation of human speech;

and

one or more instructions for using the electronic representation to animate lip movement in a character displayed on a display device.