Networked Computer Graphics Rendering System with Multiple Displays

• US 20100328354A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Watson, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/492,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20100328354A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/672
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions

Abstract

To render graphics on multiple display devices, multiple computing platforms are networked and each computing platform separately executes an application to render graphics for a display device. A client computing platform adds an orientation offset to view state information received from a server computing platform to coordinate the graphics rendered by the server and client into a representation of the same world scene.

Claims

1. A graphics rendering system, comprising:

a client coupled to a communication link, the client including a client display device and a client computing platform to execute a client application, the client computing platform to receive via the communication link periodic view state information from a server computing platform, the view state information including a server camera position corresponding to an origin of a server view space generated by the server computing platform, and the client computing platform to generate a client view space for display on the client display device based on the received view state information, the generated client view space also having an origin at the server camera position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server includes a server display device and wherein the server computing platform is to execute a server application to generate the server view space for display on the server display device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client computing platform is to generate the client view space with an orientation offset from the server view space.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the client display device has a physical orientation relative to the server display device, and wherein the orientation offset between the server view space and the client view space is determined based on the client display device'"'"'s relative physical orientation.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein client computing platform locally stores data pertaining to the orientation offset.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the server and client applications are a same game or CAD application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication link is a local area network, wherein the server computing device broadcasts the periodic server view state information via the communication link using an unreliable delivery protocol (UDP), and wherein the server and client computing platforms are game consoles.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein only the server of the server and client computing platforms is coupled a controller which controls both the server view space and the client view space.

9. A method of rendering a graphical display, comprising:

receiving view state information over a local area network (LAN);

generating, with a client application executing on a client computing platform, a client view space based on the received view state information, the client view space having an origin at a server camera position provided in the view state information; and

displaying, on a client display device, graphics rendered based on the generated client view space.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating, with a server application executing on a server computing platform, a server view space having an origin at the server camera;

displaying on a server display device coupled to the server computing platform, graphics rendered based on the server view space;

transmitting view state information periodically over the LAN, the view state information including a server camera view matrix.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the client view space is generated with an orientation offset from the server view space.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the client display device has a physical orientation relative to the server display device, and wherein the orientation offset between the server view space and the client view space is determined based on the client display device'"'"'s relative physical orientation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

executing a calibration routine on both the server computing platform and the client computing platform to determine the orientation offset based the relative physical orientation.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the server and client applications are the same game or CAD application.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein periodically transmitting view state information over a local area network (LAN) further comprises broadcasting the view state information to all clients connected to the LAN.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the view state information further includes object position information and animation information, and wherein generating a client view space based on the view state information further comprises generating an object in the client view space based on the object position information and animating an object in the client view space based on the animation information.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed cause a processing system to perform the method comprising:

receiving view state information over a local area network (LAN);

generating a client view space based on the received view state information, the client view space having an origin at a server camera position provided in the received view state information; and

displaying on a client display device graphics rendered based on the generated client view space.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the client view space is generated with an orientation offset from a server view space generated by a server which transmitted the received view state information.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the client display device has a physical orientation relative to a server display device, and wherein the orientation offset between the server view space and the client view space is determined based on the client display device'"'"'s relative physical orientation.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, which when executed cause a processing system to perform the method further comprising:

executing a calibration routine on to determine the orientation offset based on the client display device'"'"'s relative physical orientation.