SPRITE STRIP RENDERER

• US 20120223940A1
• Filed: 06/09/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Dunstan, Jackson, Ogrin, Robert Todd
• Granted Patent: US 9,839,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• 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

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for generating 2D images of a 3D avatar in a virtual world. In one embodiment, a request is received specifying customizations to the 3D avatar. The 2D images are generated based on the request, each 2D image representing the 3D avatar from a different viewing angle in the virtual world. Advantageously, the 2D images may be sent to a client for display, without requiring the client to render the 3D avatar.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a client, a first request specifying customizations to a first 3D avatar in a virtual world;

based on the specified customizations and by operation of one or more computer processors, generating a plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar, the first 3D avatar being rendered using the specified customizations, each 2D image representing the first 3D avatar from a respective different viewing angle; and

sending the plurality of 2D images to the client for display.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generating is performed by a server configured to provide the virtual world, wherein generating the plurality of 2D images comprises rendering the first 3D avatar based on the first request, and wherein the plurality of 2D images is sent to the client for display without the client having to render the first 3D avatar.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client is configured to provide a user-selectable option of whether to render the first 3D avatar or to receive the plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client is configured to select to receive the plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar, upon determining that a computer on which the client executes does not meet a minimum predefined threshold of system metrics.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client is configured to specify at least one of a predetermined count of 2D images to be generated and a desired resolution of the 2D images to be generated.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined count of 2D images is at least one of user-configurable and determined based on system metrics of a computer on which the client executes.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the plurality of 2D images;

subsequent to the plurality of 2D images being stored, receiving a second request specifying customizations to a second 3D avatar in the virtual world; and

upon determining that the customizations to the second 3D avatar correspond to the stored plurality of 2D images, sending the plurality of 2D images for display without having to re-generate the plurality of 2D images.

8. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed, performs an operation comprising:

receiving, from a client, a first request specifying customizations to a first 3D avatar in a virtual world;

based on the specified customizations, generating a plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar, the first 3D avatar being rendered using the specified customizations, each 2D image representing the first 3D avatar from a respective different viewing angle; and

sending the plurality of 2D images to the client for display.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the generating is performed by a server configured to provide the virtual world, wherein generating the plurality of 2D images comprises rendering the first 3D avatar based on the first request, and wherein the plurality of 2D images is sent to the client for display without the client having to render the first 3D avatar.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the client is configured to provide a user-selectable option of whether to render the first 3D avatar or to receive the plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the client is configured to select to receive the plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar, upon determining that a computer on which the client executes does not meet a minimum predefined threshold of system metrics.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the client is configured to specify at least one of a predetermined count of 2D images to be generated and a desired resolution of the 2D images to be generated.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the predetermined count of 2D images is at least one of user-configurable and determined based on system metrics of a computer on which the client executes.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operation further comprises:

storing the plurality of 2D images;

subsequent to the plurality of 2D images being stored, receiving a second request specifying customizations to a second 3D avatar in the virtual world; and

upon determining that the customizations to the second 3D avatar correspond to the stored plurality of 2D images, sending the plurality of 2D images for display without having to re-generate the plurality of 2D images.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation comprising;

receiving, from a client, a first request specifying customizations to a first 3D avatar in a virtual world;

based on the specified customizations, generating a plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar, the first 3D avatar being rendered from the specified customizations, each 2D image representing the first 3D avatar from a respective different viewing angle; and

sending the plurality of 2D images to the client for display.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the generating is performed by a server configured to provide the virtual world, wherein generating the plurality of 2D images comprises rendering the first 3D avatar based on the first request, and wherein the plurality of 2D images is sent to the client for display without the client having to render the first 3D avatar.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the client is configured to provide a user-selectable option of whether to render the first 3D avatar or to receive the plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the client is configured to select to receive the plurality of 2D images of the first 3D avatar, upon determining that a computer on which the client executes does not meet a minimum predefined threshold of system metrics.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the client is configured to specify at least one of a predetermined count of 2D images to be generated and a desired resolution of the 2D images to be generated.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the predetermined count of 2D images is at least one of user-configurable and determined based on system metrics of a computer on which the client executes.