Networked computer graphics rendering system with multiple displays for displaying multiple viewing frustums

• US 8,269,691 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Watson, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOW, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US12/493,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20100328346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/1.3, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/2.3
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering

Abstract

To render graphics on multiple display devices, multiple computing platforms are networked and each computing platform separately executes an application rendering the graphics for a subset of the multiple display devices. A server including a first display device and a first computing platform generates a world space and renders from the generated world space a first viewing frustum for display on the first display device and a client coupled to the server receives a transmission of the world space position and renders a second viewing frustum for display on a second display device.

Claims

1. A multiple display graphics rendering system, comprising:

a server including a first display device and a first computing platform, the first computing platform to execute a first application that generates a world space and renders from the generated world space a first viewing frustum for display on the first display device, the first viewing frustum having an origin at a world space position of the application; and

a client coupled to the server via a communication link, the client including a second display device and a second computing platform, the second computing platform to receive transmission of the world space position, to execute a second application that regenerates the world space and renders from the regenerated world space a second viewing frustum for display on the second display device, the second viewing frustum having an origin at the world space position with a orientation offset from the first viewing frustum, wherein, in response to the server being networked with the client, a field of view (FOV) of the first viewing frustum is reduced relative to the FOV when the first computing platform is operable in a stand-alone mode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second applications are the same game or CAD application, wherein the first and second viewing frustums represent distinct portions of a same world-scene from the world space position and wherein the second viewing frustum does not overlap the first viewing frustum.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second display device has a physical orientation relative to the first display device, and wherein the orientation offset between the first viewing frustum and second viewing frustum is based on the second display device'"'"'s relative physical orientation.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first viewing frustum has a field of view (FOV) between 20 and 50 degrees.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second viewing frustum has a FOV equal to that of the first viewing frustum and wherein the orientation offset between the first viewing frustum and second viewing frustum is less than twice the FOV.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second display device is physically oriented to the left of the first display device by between 40 and 50 degrees, the FOV is approximately 25 degrees, and the second camera view has an orientation offset from the first camera view by less than 50 degrees.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of additional clients, each client coupled to the server via a communication link, and each client including:

a client display device; and

a client computing platform to receive transmission of the world space position from the server, to execute a client application that generates a client viewing frustum having an origin at the world space position, each client view frustum with an orientation offset from the first viewing frustum by a different amount, and each client to render the client viewing frustum for display on the client display device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of additional clients include a third client with a third display device to the physically oriented left of the second display device, the third display device to display a third viewing frustum with a second orientation offset from the first viewing frustum by an amount greater than the orientation offset between the first and second viewing frustums.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the server and plurality of clients generate an effective FOV greater than 120 degrees from the world space position.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second computing platforms are game consoles, wherein communication link is link in a local area network (LAN), and wherein the server communicates the world space position to all clients on the LAN with a broadcast message sent using an unreliable delivery protocol (UDP).

11. The system of claim 1, wherein only the first of the first and second computing platforms is coupled to a controller configured to control both the first and second viewing frustums.

12. A method of rendering graphics with multiple displays, the method comprising:

generating a world space with a first computing platform;

rendering a first viewing frustum from the generated world space, the first viewing frustum having an origin at a world space position and a world space orientation;

displaying the first viewing frustum on a first display device coupled to the first computing platform, wherein the first viewing frustum has a field of view (FOV) reduced relative to the FOV when the first computing platform is operable in a stand-alone mode;

transmitting the world space position and the world space orientation via a communication link to a second computing platform;

regenerating the world space on the second computing platform;

rendering a second viewing frustum from the regenerated world space, the second viewing frustum having an origin at the world space position and an orientation offset from the first viewing frustum; and

displaying on a second display device the second camera view.

13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising:

accessing configuration information stored on the second computing platform, the configuration information indicative of the orientation offset between the first viewing frustum and second viewing frustum; and

applying the orientation offset to the world space orientation to render the second viewing frustum from the regenerated world space.

14. The method as in claim 12, wherein the world space is generated with a game or CAD application executing on the first computing platform and wherein the world space is regenerated with a same game or CAD application executing on the second computing platform.

15. The method as in claim 14, further comprising:

scanning through the internal state of all world space objects generated by the application executing on the first computing platform; and

transmitting the internal states to the second computing platform.

16. The method as in claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a view control command to modify the world space position or a world space orientation;

re-rendering of the first viewing frustum in response to the received view control command; and

re-rendering the second viewing frustum in response to receiving the modified world space position or world space orientation via the communication link.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed cause a processing system to perform a method comprising:

generating a world space;

rendering a first viewing frustum from the generated world space, the first viewing frustum having an origin at a world space position received from a remote computing platform and the first viewing frustum angularly offset from a received world space orientation to provide a continuous field of view (FOV) with a display provided by the remote computing platform; and

displaying the first viewing frustum on a first display device, wherein the first viewing frustum has a FOV which overlaps a FOV provided by the remote computing platform when the remote computing platform is operated in a stand-alone mode.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the world space is generated based on object and animation information received from the remote computing platform.

19. The medium of claim 17 further including instructions for performing the method comprising:

accessing stored configuration information indicative of the angular offset between the first viewing frustum and a second viewing frustum rendered by the remote computing platform; and

applying the angular offset to the receive world space orientation to render the second viewing frustum from the regenerated world space.

20. The medium of claim 17, further including instructions which when executed cause the processing system to perform the method comprising:

re-rendering the first viewing frustum in response to receiving a modified world space position or world space orientation from the remote computing platform.