Color Modification of Objects in a Virtual Universe

• US 20090267960A1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford Alan, Finn, Peter George, O'Connell, Brian Marshall, Walker, Keith Raymond, Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Granted Patent: US 8,466,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/593
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for modifying an object. In one embodiment, the process obtains avatar tracking data that identifies a location of an avatar in relation to a range of an object. The range includes a viewable field. The process then calculates modified pixel color values to form a modified color in response to detecting a condition for triggering modification of the object. Thereafter, the process modifies a color of the object to form the modified color when the location of the set of avatars is within the range of the object.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for modifying an object, the computer implemented method comprising:

obtaining tracking data that identifies a location of a set of avatars in relation to a range of the object, wherein the range comprises a viewable field;

responsive to detecting a condition for triggering modification of the object, calculating modified pixel color values to form a modified color; and

modifying a color of the object to form the modified color when the location of the set of avatars is within the range of the object.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the range further comprises a detection area.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tracking data is obtained from at least one of an object based avatar tracking controller and a data structure storing object avatar rendering data.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the condition is a delta red, green, blue value exceeding a predefined threshold.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating the modified pixel color values further comprises:

calculating a modified red, green, blue value using a set of pixel color constraints.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the color of the object is modified for a predefined amount of time.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the calculating step is performed when the set of avatars is in a detection area.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the modifying step is performed when the set of avatars is in the viewable field.

9. A computer program product for modifying an object, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

first program instructions for obtaining tracking data that identifies a location of a set of avatars in relation to a range of the object, wherein the range comprises a viewable field;

second program instructions for calculating modified pixel color values (340) to form a modified color to form a modified color in response to detecting a condition for triggering modification of the object;

third program instructions for modifying a color of the object to form the modified color when the location of the set of avatars is within the range of the object; and

wherein said first, second, and third program instructions are stored on said computer readable medium.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the range further comprises a detection area.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the tracking data is obtained from at least one of an object based avatar tracking controller and a data structure storing object avatar rendering data.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the condition is a delta red, green, blue value exceeding a predefined threshold.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the second program instructions further comprises:

program instructions for calculating a modified red, green, blue value using a set of pixel color constraints.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the color of the object is modified for a predefined amount of time.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the calculating step is performed when the set of avatars is a the detection area.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the second program instructions comprise:

program instructions for modifying the color of the object modifying step is performed when the set of avatars is in the viewable field.

17. A virtual universe grid computing system for cloning objects, the system comprising:

a data structure storing a set of pixel color constraints; and

a color controller, wherein the color controller obtains tracking data that identifies a location of the avatar in relation to a range of the object, wherein the range comprises a viewable field;

calculates a modified pixel color values to form a modified color in response to detecting a condition for triggering modification of the object; and

modifies a color of the object to form the modified color when the location of the set of avatars is within the range of the object.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a clone controller, wherein the clone controller generates a clone of the object in response to the set of avatars is within the range of the object.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the color controller modifies the color of the object for a predefined period of time.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an object avatar rendering data structure, wherein the object avatar rendering data structure comprises a unique identifier of a set of selected objects, and unique identifiers for each avatar in the set of avatars in the range of the object.