Method and apparatus for tilting by applying effects to a number of computer-generated characters

• US 7,643,037 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Howell, David, Massey, Mary E., Langmacher, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMS, MICHELLE L
• Application Number:
  US10/840,894
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 715/730, 715/731, 715/732, 715/471, 715/619, 345/619
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for presenting computer-generated characters. The method defines several frames for a character and sequentially presents the frames. Each frame depicts a particular representation of the character. Also, at least two of the frames provide different representations of the character. Some embodiments provide a method for applying effects to computer-generated characters. This method applies an effect to the computer-generated characters by first generating an effect script. It then selects the generated effect script to apply to the computer-generated characters.

Claims

1. A method of applying effects to a number of computer-generated characters, the method comprising:

defining an effect for a first character and a second character;

displaying, on a display device of a computer, a commencement of an application of the effect to the first character; and

after starting the display of the commencement of the application of the effect to the first character, displaying, on the display device of the computer, a commencement of an application of the effect to the second character,

wherein the application of the effect to a particular character comprises displaying a movement of the particular character, wherein the effect is applied for a same amount of time to each character such that there is a first period of time when the first character and the second character are both moving and a second period of time when the second character is still moving after the first character stops moving.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the effect has a duration, wherein a time delay between commencing the application of the effect to the first and second characters is based on a portion of the duration of the effect.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising in a particular order selecting the first and second characters to apply the effect to the characters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the characters are on a track and the order is a right to left order that first selects the character that is to the right of the other character.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the characters are on a track and the order is a left to right order that first selects the character that is to the left of the other character.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising in a random order selecting the first and second characters to apply the effect to the characters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the effect comprises:

generating an effect script; and

selecting the generated effect script to apply to the characters.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selected effect script specifies a set of parameters and a value for each parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application of the effect to the second character is independent of the application of the effect to the first character.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application of the effect to the first character is not in unison with the application of the effect to the second character.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the effect comprises specifying a time delay for commencing the application of the effect to the second character after commencing the application of the effect to the first character, wherein the time delay is specified as a random delay.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the effect comprises specifying a time delay for commencing an application of the effect to at least one character from a plurality of characters, wherein a time delay for the first character is different than a time delay for the second character.

13. A computer readable medium storing a titling application for defining titles, the titling application comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving, through a user interface of the titling application, a set of characters as a title, the set of characters comprising at least a first character and a second character;

receiving, through the user interface of the titling application, a selection of an effect to apply to the first character and the second character;

receiving, through the user interface of the titling application, a time delay value for commencing an application of the effect to the second character after commencing an application of the effect to the first character;

applying the effect to the first character; and

after the user-specified time delay has passed from the start of the application of the effect to the first character, applying the effect to the second character,

wherein applying the effect to a particular character comprises displaying a movement of the particular character.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, the computer program further comprising a set of instructions for receiving, through the user interface of the titling application, a selection, in a particular order, of the first and second characters to apply the effect to the characters.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the characters are on a track and the order is a right to left order such that the first character is to the right of the second character.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the characters are on a track and the order is a left to right order such that the first character is to the left of the second character.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, the computer program further comprising a set of instructions for receiving, through the user interface of the titling application, a selection that the effect is applied to the set of characters in a random order.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, the computer program further comprising a set of instructions for receiving input to define an effect script, wherein the set of instructions for receiving the selection of the effect comprises a set of instructions for receiving a selection of the defined effect script to apply to the first and second characters.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the selected effect script specifies a set of parameters and a value for each parameter.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the application of the effect to the first character is not in unison with the application of the effect to the second character.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the user interface of the titling application is a graphical user interface.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the set of instructions for receiving the time delay value through the user interface of the titling application comprises a set of instructions for receiving a selection to generate a random time delay for commencing the application of the effect to the second character after commencing the application of the effect to the first character.

23. A method for applying effects to a number of computer-generated characters comprising a first character and a second character, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display device of a computer, an application of an effect to the first character to produce a movement of the first character; and

after commencing the display of the application of the effect to the first character, displaying, on the display device of the computer, an application of the effect to the second character to produce a movement of the second character, wherein, after the application of the effect to the first character and before the application of the effect to the second character, the second character does not move while the first character moves, wherein for a period of time after the application of the effect to the second character both characters move.

24. The method of claim, 23, wherein the characters comprise a third character, the method further comprising displaying an application of the effect to the third character after commencing the display of the application of the effect to the first character.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein displaying the application of the effect applied to the second character is not in unison with displaying the application of the effect applied to the first character.

26. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for applying effects to a number of computer-generated characters comprising a first character and a second character, the computer program comprising a set of instructions for:

displaying an application of an effect to the first character to produce a movement of the first character; and

after commencing the display of the application of the effect to the first character, displaying an application of the effect to the second character to produce a movement of the second character, wherein the second character does not move after the application of the effect to the first character and before the application of the effect to the second character, wherein immediately after the application of the effect to the second character both the first character and the second character are moving.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the characters comprise a third character, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying an application of the effect to the third character after commencing the display of the application of the effect to the first character.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein displaying the application of the effect applied to the second character is not in unison with displaying the application of the effect applied to the first character.

29. A method of applying effects to a number of computer-generated characters, the method comprising:

defining an effect for a first character and a second character;

displaying, on a display device of a computer, a commencement of an application of the effect to the first character; and

after a time delay from the commencement of the application of the effect to the first character, displaying, on the display device of the computer, a commencement of an application of the effect to the second character, wherein the time delay is based on a threshold value that is representative of a completion percentage of the application of the effect to the first character, wherein the completion percentage is less than a hundred percent.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the application of the effect to a particular character comprises displaying a movement of the particular character.