Script control for gait animation in a scene generated by a computer rendering engine

• US 7,830,385 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DigiMedia Tech, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Quonsil PL 3 LLC
• Inventors: Kulas, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US12/259,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20090189906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 345/423, 345/427, 345/473, 345/474, 345/419, 345/475, 348/211.7, 348/552, 704/260, 706/10, 706/100, 709/217
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/08 Bandwidth reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/04 Animation description language
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/08 Animation software package
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/12 Rule based animation

Abstract

A system for controlling a rendering engine by using specialized commands. The commands are used to generate a production, such as a television show, at an end-user'"'"'s computer that executes the rendering engine. In one embodiment, the commands are sent over a network, such as the Internet, to achieve broadcasts of video programs at very high compression and efficiency. Commands for setting and moving camera viewpoints, animating characters, and defining or controlling scenes and sounds are described. At a fine level of control math models and coordinate systems can be used make specifications. At a coarse level of control the command language approaches the text format traditionally used in television or movie scripts. Simple names for objects within a scene are used to identify items, directions and paths. Commands are further simplified by having the rendering engine use defaults when specifications are left out. For example, when a camera direction is not specified, the system assumes that the viewpoint is to be the current action area. The system provides a hierarchy of detail levels. Movement commands can be defaulted or specified. Synchronized speech can be specified as digital audio or as text which is used to synthesize the speech.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a rendering engine to animate a display of a computer-modeled character, the method comprising:

accepting one or more first signals from a content provider at a first location to allow a control script author to specify one or more character actions for the computer-modeled character, wherein the character actions are specified by predetermined commands in a control script;

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at a second location remote from the first location according to the one or more specified character actions to achieve the command-specified action, wherein default character actions are automatically specified at the second location if omitted by the control script author, and wherein an automatically specified character action includes a character'"'"'s gait;

accepting one or more second signals from the content provider to modify one or more of the character actions; and

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at the second location according to the one or more modified character actions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a specified action includes walking from a starting position to an ending position, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining at the second location that the author has not specified additional details for animating the computer-modeled character to walk; and

using one or more default character actions including predetermined walking characteristics to animate the computer-modeled character in a walk at the second location.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a specified action includes walking from a starting position to an ending position, and wherein the method further comprises:

playing a default footstep sound at the second location synchronous with a walking animation for the computer-modeled character.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-modeled character comprises a computer-modeled human character including feet, and wherein the one or more character actions includes footstep placement to indicate where the feet of the character are positioned in an animation, and further wherein:

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at the second location comprises animating the placement of the feet of the computer-modeled human character at the second location from a starting position to an ending position.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-modeled character comprises a computer-modeled human character, and wherein the one or more character actions includes a specification of a math model property of the computer-modeled human character.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-modeled character comprises a computer-modeled human character, and wherein the one or more character actions includes a specification of a polygon of the computer-modeled human character.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-modeled character comprises a computer-modeled human character, and wherein the one or more character actions includes a specification of one or more frames or partial frames of a pre-rendered scene showing the computer-modeled human character performing at least a portion of an animation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting one or more third signals from the content provider at the first location to specify a character'"'"'s physical characteristics, wherein the character'"'"'s physical characteristics are specified by commands in the control script; and

using at least one specified physical characteristic to generate a character model at the second location.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-modeled character comprises a computer-modeled human character.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the character actions in the control script comprise one or more predefined control commands derived from a script created by a human author.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the rendering engine is located on a computer system at the second location, and wherein:

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at a second location remote from the first location according to the one or more specified character actions comprises animating a display of the character according to default actions stored in a memory of the computer system at the second location.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting one or more fourth signals from a user input device at the second location to modify one or more of the character actions; and

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at the second location according to the one or more modified character actions.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising animating a display of the computer-modeled character at one or more third locations remote from the first and second locations simultaneous with or at least approximately simultaneous with animating the display of the computer-modeled character at the second location.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for controlling a rendering engine, the operations comprising:

accepting one or more first signals from a content provider system at a first location to allow a human user to specify an action for a computer-modeled character, wherein the action is specified by a predetermined command in a control script;

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at a second location remote from the first location according to one or more specified character actions to achieve the command-specified action, wherein default character actions are automatically specified at the second location if omitted by the human user, and wherein an automatically specified character action includes a character'"'"'s gait;

accepting one or more second signals from the content provider system to modify one or more of the character actions; and

animating a display of the computer-modeled character at the second location according to the one or more modified character actions.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein a specified action includes moving the character from a starting position to an ending position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

automatically animating predetermined walking characteristics of the computer-modeled character as the character walks from the starting position to the ending position, wherein the predetermined walking characteristics include footstep placement to indicate where feet of the computer-modeled character are positioned in an animation from the starting position to the ending position.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the computer-modeled character comprises a human character.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving predetermined commands from a game server at a first location to specify an action for a computer-modeled character at one or more user computers located at second locations remote from the first location; and

animating a display of the computer-modeled character on each user computer according to one or more default character actions stored in a playback engine on each user computer to achieve the command-specified action received from the game server, wherein default character actions are automatically specified if omitted in the commands received from the game server, and wherein an automatically specified character action comprises a character'"'"'s gait.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing a macro on the game server at the first location, wherein the macro comprises one or more of the commands to specify the action for the computer-modeled character.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein:

animating a display of the computer-modeled character comprises receiving the macro at one or more user computers and animating the display of the computer-modeled character on the corresponding user computers according to one or more default character actions stored in the playback engine on each user computer to achieve the command-specified actions from the macro.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving commands from a game server comprises receiving one or more script commands from the game server.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein:

receiving commands from the game server at one or more user computers comprises receiving streamed commands from the game server; and

animating a display of the computer-modeled character occurs simultaneous with or at least approximately simultaneous with receiving the streamed commands from the game server.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein:

receiving commands from the game server at one or more user computers comprises downloading a set of commands from the game server; and

animating a display of the computer-modeled character occurs after downloading the set of commands from the game server.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein a specified action includes walking from a starting position to an ending position, and wherein the method further comprises:

automatically animating feet and footstep placement associated with the computer-modeled character at the one or more user computers in response to the specified action of walking from the starting position to the ending position.