Color Modifications of Objects in a Virtual Universe Based on User Display Settings

• US 20100005423A1
• Filed: 07/01/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2008
• 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 8,990,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/849
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

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 selects a data collection method based on the location of the set of avatars. In response to detecting an event for triggering modification of the object, the process calculates a set of color modifiers based on display setting data to form a modified color. Thereafter, the process renders the object using 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;

selecting a data collection method based on the location of the set of avatars;

responsive to detecting an event for triggering modification of the object, calculating a set of color modifiers based on display setting data to form a modified color; and

rendering the object using 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 selecting the data collection method further comprises:

responsive to detecting a number of objects in a virtual universe region greater than a threshold, selecting the data collection method based on a login and a display settings change; and

responsive to detecting the number of objects in the virtual universe region less than the threshold, selecting the data collection method based on a request from a set of objects in the virtual universe.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating the color modifier comprises:

querying existing color settings, wherein the existing color settings comprise saturation, brightness, contrast, hue, and primary color settings; and

responsive to detecting a delta value for the existing color settings, calculating a set of primary color modifiers for the color settings.

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

5. 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 rending data.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event is a delta primary color value exceeding a predefined threshold.

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

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

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

a computer recordable storage 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 selecting a data collection method based on the location of the set of avatars;

third instructions for calculating a color modifier based on display setting data to form a modified color in response to detecting an event for triggering modification of the object;

fourth instructions for rendering the object using the modified color when the location of the set of avatars is within the range of the object; and

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

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

fifth instructions for selecting the data collection method based on a login and a display settings change in response to detecting a number of objects in a virtual universe region greater than a threshold; and

sixth instructions for selecting the data collection method based on a request from a set of objects in the virtual universe in response to detecting the number of objects in the virtual universe region less than the threshold.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the third instructions for calculating the color modifier comprises:

seventh instructions for querying existing color settings, wherein the existing color settings comprise saturation, brightness, contrast, hue, and primary color settings; and

eighth instructions for calculating a set of primary color modifiers for the color settings in response to detecting a delta value for the existing color settings.

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

13. 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 rending data.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the event is a delta primary color value exceeding a predefined threshold.

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

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the fourth instructions are executed when the set of avatars is in the viewable field.

17. A system for presenting information, the system comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to obtain 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;

select a data collection method based on the location of the set of avatars;

calculate a set of color modifiers based on user display settings to form a modified color in response to detecting an event for triggering modification of the object; and

render the object using the modified color when the location of the set of avatars is within the range of the object.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to select the data collection method based on a login and a display settings change in response to detecting a number of objects in a virtual universe region greater than a threshold;

and select the data collection method based on a request from a set of objects in the virtual universe in response to detecting the number of objects in the virtual universe region less than the threshold.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code for calculating the color modifier to query existing color settings, wherein the existing color settings comprise saturation, brightness, contrast, hue, and primary color settings;

and calculate a set of primary color modifiers for the color settings in response to detecting a delta value for the existing color settings.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the event is a delta primary color value exceeding a predefined threshold.