METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PERFORM ANIMATION SMOOTHING

• US 20130009964A1
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Paas, Dale
• Application Number:
  US13/634,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20130009964A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to perform animation smoothing are disclosed. An example method includes determining an estimated drawing time associated with each of a plurality of frames of an animation, calculating a metric based on the estimated drawing time associated with each of the plurality of frames, and updating an assumed frame time based on the metric.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining an estimated drawing time associated with each of a plurality of frames of an animation;

calculating a metric based on the estimated drawing time associated with each of the plurality of frames; and

updating an assumed frame time based on the metric.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the metric comprises at least one of an estimated average drawing time or a threshold drawing time.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein updating the assumed frame time based on the metric comprises using the estimated average drawing time as the assumed frame time when the estimated average drawing time is higher than the threshold drawing time.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a difference between one of the plurality of frames and an adjacent frame, wherein the estimated drawing time is based on the difference.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a difference between one of the plurality of frames and a non-adjacent frame, wherein the estimated drawing time is based on the difference.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining an initial value for the assumed frame time based a characteristic of the plurality of frames.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein determining the estimated drawing time is based on at least one of whether the frame is transparent or an area of difference.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a frame set generator to generate a plurality of frames of an animation;

a difference evaluator to determine differences between first ones of the frames and corresponding second ones of the frames; and

a drawing time updater to determine estimated drawing times based on the differences, to calculate a metric based on the estimated drawing times, and to update an assumed frame time based on the metric.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein each of the first ones of the frames is non-adjacent to the corresponding one of the second ones of the frames.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the drawing time updater is to set an initial value for the assumed frame time based on a characteristic of the frames.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the metric comprises a time difference between an average estimated drawing time and the assumed frame time.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the drawing time updater is to update the assumed frame time to be the average estimated drawing time when the time difference is greater than a threshold.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the drawing time updater is to provide at least one of the assumed frame time or the estimated drawing times to a drawer.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising a slide constructor to receive presentation slide information, to determine if there is a slide for which animation is used based on the presentation slide information, and to provide frame information to the frame set generator when an animation is used for the slide.

15. A presenter, comprising:

a slide processor to receive information regarding first and second slides, to generate a sequence of frames to animate a change between the first slide and the second slide, to determine a drawing time for each of the frames, and to update the drawing time for at least one of the frames based on a drawing time for another one of the frames; and

a slide drawer to receive an updated drawing time and to draw the sequence of frames using the updated drawing time for the corresponding at least one of the frames.

16. A presenter as defined in claim 15, wherein the slide processor is to determine the drawing time based on whether a region in at least one of the frames is transparent.

17. A presenter as defined in claim 16, wherein the slide processor is to determine the drawing time based on a size of the region.

18. A presenter as defined in claim 15, wherein the slide processor is to update the drawing time when an average drawing time for the frames traverses a threshold.

19. A presenter as defined in claim 15, wherein the updated drawing time is greater than the drawing time determined by the slide processor.

20. A presenter as defined in claim 15, wherein the slide drawer is to draw the sequence of frames using the updated drawing time to smooth a visual presentation of the frames.