Method and apparatus for using a general three-dimensional (3D) graphics pipeline for cost effective digital image and video editing, transformation, and representation

• US 6,342,884 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Isurftv
• Inventors: Kamen, Yakov, Shirman, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Mano
• Application Number:
  US09/344,442
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 345/425, 345/430, 345/423, 345/435, 345/582, 345/629, 345/419, 345/420
• US Class Current: 345/423
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/40 Filling a planar surface by adding surface attributes, e.g. colour or texture

Abstract

A method in accordance with our invention permits the manipulation of a two-dimensional pixel array using a standard 3D graphics pipeline. The method comprises the steps of forming a wire mesh of the two-dimensional image. This wire mesh comprises a set of triangles, in which all of the vertices and sides of the triangles are located in the same plane in x, y, z coordinate space. The 2D image is then mapped into the mesh. The resulting object representation can then be manipulated in the same manner that 3D representations are manipulated by a 3D graphics pipeline.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a digital representation of a two-dimensional image;

providing a computer model of a geometric surface;

binding said digital representation to said computer model of said geometric surface, whereby during said act of binding, said geometric surface is a flat or substantially flat geometric surface; and

generating an array of pixels corresponding to an image to be displayed, said image to be displayed including said geometric surface textured by said two-dimensional image.

2. Method of claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying said image to be displayed on a display device.

3. Method of claim 2 further comprising the act of performing a digital manipulation process, said digital manipulation process comprising one of warping, resizing melting, and rotating said image to be displayed.

4. Method of claim 2 further comprising the act of establishing the location and position of said geometric surface in a world coordinate system, wherein said act of generating said array of pixels takes into account the location and position of said geometric surface in said world coordinate system.

5. Method of claim 1 further comprising the act of modifying said geometric surface so that it is no longer flat prior to said act of generating said array of pixels, whereby said displayed image does not appear flat.

6. Method of claim 1 wherein said geometric surface comprises a set of polygons.

7. Method of claim 6 wherein said binding is performed after said providing said computer model of said geometric surface.

8. Method of claim 7 wherein said computer model of said geometric surface comprises a mesh of triangles.

9. Method of claim 8 wherein at least some of said triangles are maintained in a substantially coplanar orientation relative to one another after said binding.

10. Method of claim 1 wherein said geometric surface is defined with an implicit technique.

11. Method of claim 1 wherein said act of mapping is accomplished using a 3D graphics pipeline.

12. Method of claim 1 wherein said representation of said two-dimensional image is obtained from a video image.

13. Method of claim 1 wherein said binding is performed after said computer model of said geometric surface is provided.

14. Method of claim 1 wherein said computer model of said geometric surface comprises a set of vertices and said digital representation comprises an array of pixels, said binding comprising mapping the coordinates of some of said pixels within said digital representation to said vertices after said providing said computer model.

15. Method of claim 1 wherein said act of generating is performed by a 3D graphics pipeline.

16. Method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information corresponding to a location of a virtual viewer, said act of generating an array of pixels comprising generating said array of pixels so that the image to be displayed is displayed from the perspective of said virtual viewer.

17. Method of claim 16 further comprising:

changing the position of said virtual viewer; and

regenerating said array of pixels so that the image being displayed is displayed from the perspective of said virtual viewer after the position of said virtual viewer has been changed.

18. Method of claim 1 further comprising receiving information corresponding to the location of a virtual lighting source, said act of generating an array of pixels comprising generating said array of pixels so that the image to be displayed is displayed as it would appear if illuminated by said virtual lighting source.

19. Structure comprising:

a first memory for storing a digital representation of a two-dimensional image;

a second memory for storing a model of a flat geometric surface;

a third memory for storing a world coordinate system, said world coordinate system representing a location and orientation of an object to be displayed; and

a graphics 3D pipeline for binding said model of said flat geometric surface to said two-dimensional image and generating a pixel array corresponding to an image to be displayed, said generating of said image being based, at least in part, on said flat geometric surface textured in accordance with said two-dimensional image, said image being oriented and positioned in accordance with said world coordinate system.

20. Structure of claim 19 further comprising a display for displaying said image to be displayed.

21. Structure of claim 19 wherein said graphics pipeline permits manipulation of said flat geometric surface so that said image to be displayed does not represent said geometric surface as flat.

22. A method comprising the acts of:

providing a video image to a 3D graphics pipeline;

providing a geometric surface to said 3D graphics pipeline; and

generating a pixel array based on the binding of at least a portion of said video image to said geometric surface.

23. Method of claim 22 wherein said geometric surface is a flat geometric surface when said geometric surface is bound to said video image.

24. A method comprising the acts of:

providing a two-dimensional image to a 3D graphics pipeline;

providing a flat geometric surface to said 3D graphics pipeline;

generating a pixel array based on the binding of at least a portion of said two-dimensional image to said flat geometric surface.

25. Method of claim 24 comprising the acts of altering said geometric surface after the binding of said at least said portion of said two-dimensional image so that said geometric surface is no longer flat.

26. Structure comprising:

a source of a video image; and

a 3D graphics pipeline receiving said video image and processing said video image by binding said video image to a geometric surface and generating a pixel array based on the binding of at least a portion of said video image to said geometric surface.

27. Structure comprising:

a memory containing a representation of a two-dimensional image;

a memory containing a flat geometric surface; and

a 3D graphics pipeline for binding said two-dimensional image to said flat geometric surface and generating a pixel array corresponding to said bound two-dimensional image.