Apparatus and methods for haptic rendering using data in a graphics pipeline
First Claim
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1. A method for interpreting data for use in a haptic rendering of a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
- accessing graphical rendering data in a graphics pipeline of a 3D graphics processor, wherein the graphical rendering data is collected from a virtual camera and comprises data generated to produce a 2D screen view of a 3D virtual object in the virtual environment; and
interpreting the graphical rendering data for use in a haptic rendering of the 3D virtual object in the virtual environment, wherein the interpreting step comprises defining a force to be transmitted to a user via a haptic interface device.
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Abstract
The invention provides methods for leveraging data in the graphics pipeline of a 3D graphics application for use in a haptic rendering of a virtual environment. The invention provides methods for repurposing graphical information for haptic rendering. Thus, at least part of the work that would have been performed by a haptic rendering process to provide touch feedback to a user is obviated by work performed by the graphical rendering process.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method for interpreting data for use in a haptic rendering of a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
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accessing graphical rendering data in a graphics pipeline of a 3D graphics processor, wherein the graphical rendering data is collected from a virtual camera and comprises data generated to produce a 2D screen view of a 3D virtual object in the virtual environment; and interpreting the graphical rendering data for use in a haptic rendering of the 3D virtual object in the virtual environment, wherein the interpreting step comprises defining a force to be transmitted to a user via a haptic interface device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. An apparatus for providing haptic feedback to a user of a 3D graphics application, the apparatus comprising:
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a user-controlled haptic interface device adapted to provide a user input to a computer and to transmit force to the user; and computer software that, when operating with the computer and the user input, is adapted to determine force transmitted to the user via a haptic interface device by (i) accessing graphical rendering data from a graphics pipeline of a 3D graphics processor, the graphical rendering data having been collected from a virtual camera and comprising data generated to produce a 2D screen view of a 3D virtual object in the virtual environment and (ii) haptically rendering a 3D virtual object in a virtual environment using the accessed graphical rendering data, where the force is determined according to the position of a haptic interface location in relation to a surface of the virtual object. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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Specification