Avatar eye control in a multi-user animation environment

• US 9,508,180 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utherverse Gaming LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Brian Mark Shuster, Gary S. Shuster
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen, Shuster, Brian Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US14/961,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20160086367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/205 driven by audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment

Abstract

In a multi-participant modeled virtual reality environment, avatars are modeled beings that include moveable eyes creating the impression of an apparent gaze direction. Control of eye movement may be performed autonomously using software to select and prioritize targets in a visual field. Sequence and duration of apparent gaze may then be controlled using automatically determined priorities. Optionally, user preferences for object characteristics may be factored into determining priority of apparent gaze. Resulting modeled avatars are rendered on client displays to provide more lifelike and interesting avatar depictions with shifting gaze directions.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an avatar'"'"'s gaze, the method comprising:

modeling, in a computer memory, a digital representation of a first avatar having at least one modeled eye capable of different gaze orientations, and a modeled scene;

directing the first avatar'"'"'s gaze at least in part by autonomous gaze control;

maintaining a list of words, wherein one or more words on the list of words have an associated score;

monitoring a text source;

determining that at least one word on the list of words has been used in the text source;

identifying a second avatar associated with an account that utilized the at least one word;

determining whether the second avatar is within a field of view of the first avatar; and

if the second avatar is within a field of view of the first avatar, changing the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar, wherein the score is utilized to determine how much to change the likelihood.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text source is a user chat.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the text source is a word or phrase appearing within the modeled scene.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text source is a word or phrase appearing within an image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar is reduced.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first avatar'"'"'s gaze pattern is transmitted to other players in the modeled scene so that they may also observe the avatar'"'"'s gaze pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of time that the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar is proportional to the score of at least one of the one or more words that have an associated score.

8. A method for controlling an avatar'"'"'s gaze, the method comprising:

modeling, in a computer memory, a digital representation of a first avatar having at least one modeled eye capable of different gaze orientations, and a modeled scene;

directing the first avatar'"'"'s gaze at least in part by autonomous gaze control;

maintaining a list of words, wherein one or more words on the list of words have an associated score;

monitoring an audio stream;

determining that at least one of the words on the list of words has been used in the audio stream;

identifying a second avatar associated with an account that utilized at least one word on the list of words;

determining whether the second avatar is within a field of view of the first avatar; and

if the second avatar is within a field of view of the first avatar, changing the

likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar, wherein the score is utilized to determine how much to change the likelihood.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar is reduced.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first avatar'"'"'s gaze pattern is transmitted to other players in the modeled scene so that they may also observe the avatar'"'"'s gaze pattern.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the length of time that the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar is proportional to the score of at least one of the one or more words that have an associated score.

12. A method for controlling an avatar'"'"'s gaze, the method comprising:

modeling, in a computer memory, a digital representation of a first avatar having at least one modeled eye capable of different gaze orientations, and a modeled scene;

directing the first avatar'"'"'s gaze at least in part by autonomous gaze control;

maintaining a list of avatar physical characteristics, wherein one or more characteristics on the list of avatar physical characteristics have an associated score;

monitoring avatars within the first avatar'"'"'s field of view;

determining that a second avatar within the first avatar'"'"'s field of view has at least one characteristic on the list of avatar physical characteristics; and

changing the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar, wherein the score is utilized to determine how much to change the likelihood.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the avatar physical characteristics include a clothing state comprising one of no clothing, lingerie, dress, or skirt.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the avatar physical characteristics include a body characteristic comprising one of gender, race, hair color, eye color, and body shape type.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar is reduced.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first avatar'"'"'s gaze pattern is transmitted to other players in the modeled scene so that they may also observe the avatar'"'"'s gaze pattern.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the length of time that the likelihood that the autonomous gaze control of the first avatar will direct the gaze of the first avatar to look at the second avatar is proportional to the score of at least one of the one or more characteristics that have an associated score.