ALTERING AVATAR APPEARANCES BASED ON AVATAR POPULATION IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE

• US 20100220097A1
• Filed: 02/28/2009
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R., Karidis, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,633,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail

Abstract

An invention for the alteration of avatar appearances based on avatar population in a virtual universe is provided. In one embodiment, there is a degradation tool, including an identification component configured to count an amount of a plurality of avatars within a region of a virtual universe. The degradation tool further comprises a modification component configured to degrade the appearance of a set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe.

Claims

1. A method for degrading the appearance of avatars in a virtual universe, comprising:

counting an amount of a plurality of avatars within a region of a virtual universe; and

degrading the appearance of a set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe.

2. The method according to claim 1, the degrading comprising degrading the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars if the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe exceeds a predefined threshold amount.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising selecting the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars based on at least one of the following:

densest avatar grouping in the region of the virtual universe, avatar grouping closest to a point of interest, avatars that have not been previously communicated with, avatars that have the least amount of user customization, avatars that are not part of a predefined social group, avatars moving at a high rate of speed.

4. The method according to claim 3, the point of interest comprising at least one of the following:

the avatar of the user, at least one of the plurality of avatars having a past interaction with the avatar of the user, an object in the region of the virtual universe that is being viewed by the avatar of the user, an object in the region of the virtual universe that is being viewed by at least one of the plurality of avatars, an object selected by the avatar of the user, an object selected by an administrator of the region of the virtual universe, at least one of the plurality of avatars that has had a past interaction with the avatar of the user, an object selected by the avatar of the user as an point of interest, an object that matches metadata in an inventory of the avatar of the user, an object selected by an administrator of the virtual universe, or an object in which an entity associated with the object has paid a fee.

5. The method according to claim 3 further comprising increasing a visual contrast between the point of interest and the avatar grouping closest to the point of interest to visually emphasize the point of interest.

6. The method according to claim 1, the degrading comprising at least one of the following:

reducing at least one geometric dimension of each of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars, or adjusting a transparency level of each of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising charging a rendering fee for facilitating the degradation of the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the counting.

8. A computer system for degrading avatar appearances in a virtual universe, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and

a degradation tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit, the degradation tool comprising;

an identification component configured to count an amount of a plurality of avatars within a region of a virtual universe; and

a modification component configured to;

degrade the appearance of a set of avatars from the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe based on the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe.

9. The computer system according to claim 8, the modification component further configured to degrade the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars if the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe exceeds a predefined threshold amount.

10. The computer system according to claim 8, the modification component further configured to select the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars based on at least one of the following:

densest avatar grouping in the region of the virtual universe, avatar grouping closest to a point of interest, avatars that have not been previously communicated with, avatars that have the least amount of user customization, avatars that are not part of a predefined social group, avatars moving at a high rate of speed.

11. The computer system according to claim 10, the point of interest comprising at least one of the following:

the avatar of the user, at least one of the plurality of avatars having a past interaction with the avatar of the user, an object in the region of the virtual universe that is being viewed by the avatar of the user, an object in the region of the virtual universe that is being viewed by at least one of the plurality of avatars, an object selected by the avatar of the user, an object selected by an administrator of the region of the virtual universe, at least one of the plurality of avatars that has had a past interaction with the avatar of the user, an object selected by the avatar of the user as an point of interest, an object that matches metadata in an inventory of the avatar of the user, an object selected by an administrator of the virtual universe, or an object in which an entity associated with the object has paid a fee.

12. The computer system according to claim 10, the modification component configured to increase a visual contrast between the point of interest and the avatar grouping closest to the point of interest to visually emphasize the point of interest.

13. The computer system according to claim 8, the modification component configured to degrade the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars by performing at least one of the following:

reducing at least one geometric dimension of each of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars, or adjusting a transparency level of each of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars.

14. The computer system according to claim 8 further comprising a transaction component configured to charge a rendering fee for facilitating the degradation of the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the counting.

15. A computer-readable medium storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to degrade avatar appearances in a virtual universe, the computer instructions comprising:

counting an amount of a plurality of avatars within a region of a virtual universe; and

degrading the appearance of a set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, the instructions for degrading further comprising degrading the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars if the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe exceeds a predefined threshold amount.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15 further comprising computer instructions for selecting the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars based on at least one of the following:

densest avatar grouping in the region of the virtual universe, avatar grouping closest to a point of interest, avatars that have not been previously communicated with, avatars that have the least amount of user customization, avatars that are not part of a predefined social group, avatars moving at a high rate of speed.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17, the point of interest comprising at least one of the following:

the avatar of the user, at least one of the plurality of avatars having a past interaction with the avatar of the user, an object in the region of the virtual universe that is being viewed by the avatar of the user, an object in the region of the virtual universe that is being viewed by at least one of the plurality of avatars, an object selected by the avatar of the user, an object selected by an administrator of the region of the virtual universe, at least one of the plurality of avatars that has had a past interaction with the avatar of the user, an object selected by the avatar of the user as an point of interest, an object that matches metadata in an inventory of the avatar of the user, an object selected by an administrator of the virtual universe, or an object in which an entity associated with the object has paid a fee.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17, the computer instructions further comprising increasing a visual contrast between the point of interest and the avatar grouping closest to the point of interest to visually emphasize the point of interest.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, the computer instructions for degrading comprising at least one of the following:

reducing at least one geometric dimension of each of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars, or adjusting a transparency level of each of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, the computer instructions further comprising charging a rendering fee for facilitating the degradation of the appearance of the set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the counting.

22. A method for deploying a degradation tool for use in a computer system that degrades avatar appearances in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure operable to;

count an amount of a plurality of avatars within a region of a virtual universe; and

degrade the appearance of a set of avatars from the plurality of avatars in the virtual universe based on the amount of the plurality of avatars within the region of the virtual universe.