Simultaneous view and point navigation

• US 7,768,514 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pagan, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHU K
• Application Number:
  US11/612,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20080143722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/156, 345/163, 345/164, 345/165, 345/166, 345/167, 345/473, 345/474, 345/475
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for simultaneous view and point navigation. In a first embodiment of the invention, a single virtual environment interaction method can include maintaining first and second independent views corresponding to respectively different geometric planes in a single virtual environment, such as a flight simulator, first-person or third-person shooter game or avatar-driven adventure game. The method also can include independently changing the first view responsive to a first input directive from a first input device while concurrently changing the second view responsive to a second input directive from a second input device. Thereafter, the method further can include modifying a point of interest in one of the views responsive to a third input directive from one of the first and second input devices. Optionally, the devices can include an under-mouse sensor and trackpoint included as part of a dual-pointer mouse.

Claims

1. A single virtual environment interaction method executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

simultaneously maintaining first and second independent views in memory, the first and second independent views corresponding to respectively different geometric planes in a single virtual environment;

independently changing the first view responsive to a first input directive from a first human input device while concurrently changing the second view responsive to a second input directive from a human second input device; and

modifying a focal point of interest in one of the views responsive to a third input directive from one of the first and second human input devices, wherein

a first geometric plane corresponds to the first view,

a second geometric plane corresponds to the second view, and

the independent changing of the first and second views changes the relative orientation of the first geometric plane to the second geometric plane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises:

establishing a focal point of interest in the first view; and

aiming the focal point of interest with the third input directive while changing the second view through the second input directive, wherein

the third input and the second input directives are received in the first human input device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the focal point of interest is aimed with a trackpoint input directive while the second view is changed through an under-mouse input directive, and

the trackpoint input and the under-mouse input directives are received in a dual-pointer mouse.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein

the focal point of interest is aimed with an under-mouse directive while the second view is changed through an trackpoint directive, and

the trackpoint input and the under-mouse input directives are received in a dual-pointer mouse.

5. A simultaneous view and point navigation data processing system comprising:

a host computing platform including memory and configured to support interactions within a virtual environment;

first and second input devices each coupled to the single host computing platform; and

simultaneous viewpoint control logic disposed in the single host computing platform, the logic comprising program code configured to perform the operations of

simultaneously maintain first and second independent views in the memory, the first and second independent views corresponding to respectively different geometric planes in a single virtual environment,

independently change the first view responsive to a first input directive from the first input device while concurrently changing the second view responsive to a second input directive from the second input device, and

modify a focal point of interest in one of the views responsive to a third input directive from one of the first and second input devices, wherein

a first geometric plane corresponds to the first view,

a second geometric plane corresponds to the second view, and

the independent changing of the first and second views changes the relative orientation of the first geometric plane to the second geometric plane.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein

the first and second input devices comprise an under-mouse sensor and a trackpoint both incorporated in a dual-pointer mouse.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein

the virtual environment is a first-person shooter game.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein

the first geometric plane is a first corridor, and

the second geometric plane is a different corridor.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein

the virtual environment is a third-person shooter game.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein

the first geometric plane is a first corridor, and

the second geometric plane is a different corridor.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein

the virtual environment is a flight simulator.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein

the virtual environment is an avatar-based game.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer usable program code for simultaneous view and point navigation in a virtual environment, the computer usable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform:

simultaneously maintaining first and second independent views corresponding to respectively different geometric planes in a single virtual environment;

independently changing the first view responsive to a first input directive from a first input device while concurrently changing the second view responsive to a second input directive from a second input device;

modifying a focal point of interest in one of the views responsive to a third input directive from one of the first and second input devices, wherein

a first geometric plane corresponds to the first view,

a second geometric plane corresponds to the second view, and

the independent changing of the first and second views changes the relative orientation of the first geometric plane to the second geometric plane.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the modifying comprises:

establishing a focal point of interest in the first view; and

aiming the focal point of interest with the third input directive while changing the second view through the second input directive, wherein

both directives are received in the first input device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein

the focal point of interest is aimed with a trackpoint input directive while the second view is changed through an under-mouse input directive, and

the trackpoint input and the under-mouse input directives are received in a dual-pointer mouse.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein

the focal point of interest is aimed with an under-mouse directive while the second view is changed through an trackpoint directive, and

the trackpoint input and the under-mouse input directives are received in a dual-pointer mouse.