Virtual environment manipulation device modelling and control
First Claim
1. A method for providing user-directed operation of a virtual manipulator within a computer-generated virtual environment, said environment comprising one or more objects which may be held, released or impelled by the manipulator under user control, the method comprising:
- providing user operable positional input means by use of which the user is enabled to move the virtual manipulator about the virtual environment;
providing user operable actuator means in response to operation of which by the user the virtual manipulator is changed from a holding to a releasing orientation, or from a releasing to a holding orientation;
providing automation of manipulation actions on an object by the manipulator when certain predetermined and periodically monitored conditions are found to be true, said conditions comprising at least;
Whether or not the manipulator was previously in a holding orientation;
the separation of the manipulator and the said object;
whether or not the manipulator is currently in a holding orientation; and
whether or not the manipulator previously held the object;
the providing automation includes storing respective data structures for the manipulator and at least one object, for the manipulator the data structure including a state variable having only two states indicating whether the manipulator is displayed in one pre-defined releasing (open) position or one pre-defined holding (closed) position, and for the object a state variable having only two states indicating whether the object is held or not held, said providing automation further including eliminating at least one calculation step of a relative characteristic between the object and the manipulator when the state variable for the object indicates the object is held and the state variable for the manipulator indicates the manipulator is in a holding orientation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for providing user-directed operation of a virtual manipulator, such as a simulated hand or claw (30) within a computer-generated virtual environment. The environment comprises one or more objects (32) which may be held, released or impelled by the manipulator under user control. Movement of the virtual manipulator is directed by a suitable hand held device operated by a user, with a simple control directing opening or closing of the claw (30). In operation, actions such as throwing, catching or punching an object (32) are partially automated, with the decision as to the action initiated being determined by the separation (D) between object and manipulator, and the current and previous states of each as recorded in the form of respective state variables. A method for the derivation of an applied velocity for the object acted upon is also described.
117 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method for providing user-directed operation of a virtual manipulator within a computer-generated virtual environment, said environment comprising one or more objects which may be held, released or impelled by the manipulator under user control, the method comprising:
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providing user operable positional input means by use of which the user is enabled to move the virtual manipulator about the virtual environment; providing user operable actuator means in response to operation of which by the user the virtual manipulator is changed from a holding to a releasing orientation, or from a releasing to a holding orientation; providing automation of manipulation actions on an object by the manipulator when certain predetermined and periodically monitored conditions are found to be true, said conditions comprising at least;
Whether or not the manipulator was previously in a holding orientation;
the separation of the manipulator and the said object;
whether or not the manipulator is currently in a holding orientation; and
whether or not the manipulator previously held the object;the providing automation includes storing respective data structures for the manipulator and at least one object, for the manipulator the data structure including a state variable having only two states indicating whether the manipulator is displayed in one pre-defined releasing (open) position or one pre-defined holding (closed) position, and for the object a state variable having only two states indicating whether the object is held or not held, said providing automation further including eliminating at least one calculation step of a relative characteristic between the object and the manipulator when the state variable for the object indicates the object is held and the state variable for the manipulator indicates the manipulator is in a holding orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Virtual manipulator modelling and control apparatus operable to generate and animate under user direction a representation of a manipulator in a virtual environment and the interaction thereof with representations of at least one object also generated within the virtual environment, the apparatus comprising:
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a first data store, holding data defining the virtual environment and each object therein; a second data store, holding data defining features of the virtual manipulator representation; a user-operable control device; and processing means arranged to generate a representation of the virtual environment based on data from the first data store and from a first viewpoint, to generate the manipulator representation within the virtual environment based on data from the second data store, and to periodically modify the generated manipulator representation in response to signals received from the user-operable control means; characterised in that the apparatus further comprises; storage means holding respective data structures for the manipulator and for each object, said data structures being periodically updated by the processing means and containing for the manipulator a state variable having only two states indicating whether the manipulator is displayed in one pre-defined releasing (open) orientation or one pre-defined holding (closed) orientation and for each object a state variable having only two states indicating whether or not the object is currently held or not held by the manipulator; and first position determination means arranged to determine a current separation within the virtual environment between the manipulator representation and an object representation, the processing means autonomously implementing one or more manipulator actions on an object when the said current separation is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the current and at least one preceding one of the state variables have predetermined settings, said autonomously implementing including eliminating at least one calculation step of a relative characteristic between the object and the manipulator when the state variable for the object indicates the object is held and the state variable for the manipulator indicates the manipulator is in a holding orientation. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification