Framework for graphics animation and compositing operations

• US 9,576,388 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Brunner, Ralph, Harper, John, Graffagnino, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu, David H
• Application Number:
  US15/242,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 186 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

A graphics animation and compositing operations framework has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media or other type of objects for an application'"'"'s user interface. The application commits state changes of the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, after a synchronization threshold has been met, an animation is determined for animating the change in state by the framework which can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer, synchronized with the display. Portions of the render tree changing relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a user interface of an application on a computer system, comprising:

receiving, from an application, a notification of a change to at least one property of at least one first object, the at least one first object being associated with a user interface of the application;

changing the at least one property of the at least one first object from a first state to a second state;

recording the change of state from the first state to the second state;

evaluating a time period between the receiving and the recording;

determining, when the time period meets a threshold, at least one implicit animation from a plurality of implicit animations for animating at least one second object of a render tree structure responsive to the change from the first state to the second state, the at least one second object being associated with the at least one first object, wherein the at least one implicit animation is automatically determined independent of the application; and

rendering from the render tree structure, the at least one second object on a display of a computer system, wherein the rendering occurs at a frequency based at least in part on the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency is based at least in part on a refresh rate of the display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one first object and the at least one second object comprise layer objects selected from the group consisting of an image layer object, a graphic layer object, a text layer object, a vector layer object, and a media layer object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising committing the change of the at least one property to a layer tree structure, wherein the layer tree structure comprises a hierarchy of a plurality of properties of the at least one first object.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the render tree structure by adding an animation object that includes the determined at least one implicit animation to the render tree structure, wherein the render tree structure and the layer tree structure are structurally similar.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one property comprises visibility, wherein the change from the first state to the second state comprises an addition of the at least one first object to the layer tree structure or a deletion of the at least one first object from the layer tree structure, and wherein determining the at least one implicit animation comprises selecting a visibility-based animation for animating an addition or a deletion of the at least one second object associated with the at least one first object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering further comprises implementing an explicit animation on the at least one property of the at least one second object responsive to the automatically-determined at least one implicit animation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering from the render tree structure comprises traversing the render tree structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one property comprises position, wherein:

the change from the first state to the second state comprises a change of the at least one first object from a first position to a second position for display, and;

wherein determining the at least one implicit animation comprises selecting a motion-based animation for animating a change of the at least one second object from the first position to the second position.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one property comprises visibility, wherein the change from the first state to the second state comprises a replacement of the at least one first object with at least one new first object in the layer tree structure, and wherein determining the at least one implicit animation comprises selecting a transition-based animation of the implicit animations for animating a replacement of the second object with at least one new second object associated with the at least one new first object.

11. A computer system, comprising:

a display device;

a memory storing instructions of an application programming interface for rendering a user interface of an application; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory and the display device and adapted to execute the instructions stored in the memory to cause the processor to;

receive, from the application, a notification of a change to at least one property of at least one first object, the at least one first object being associated with a user interface of the application;

change the at least one property of the at least one first object from a first state to a second state;

record the change of state from the first state to the second state;

evaluate a time period between the receiving and the recording;

determine, when the time period meets the threshold, at least one implicit animation from a plurality of implicit animations for animating at least one second object of a render tree structure responsive to the change from the first state to the second state, the at least one second object being associated with the at least one first object, wherein the at least one implicit animation is automatically determined independent of the application, and;

render from the render tree structure, the at least one second object on a display of the computer system, wherein the rendering occurs at a frequency based at least in part on the threshold.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the frequency is based at least in part on a refresh rate of the display.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one first object and the at least one second object comprise layer objects selected from the group consisting of an image layer object, a graphic layer object, a text layer object, a vector layer object, and a media layer object.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to commit the change of the at least one property to a layer tree structure, wherein the layer tree structure comprises a hierarchy of a plurality of properties of the at least one first object.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to update the render tree structure by adding an animation object that includes the determined at least one implicit animation to the render tree structure, wherein the render tree structure and the layer tree structure are structurally similar.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one property is visibility, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to change from the first state to the second state comprises an addition of the at least one first object to the layer tree structure or a deletion of the at least one first object from the layer tree structure, and wherein instructions to cause the processor to determine the at least one implicit animation comprises selecting a visibility-based animation for animating an addition or a deletion of the at least one second object associated with the at least one first object.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to render further comprises instructions to cause the processor to implement an explicit animation on the at least one property of the at least one second object responsive to the automatically-determined at least one implicit animation.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to render from the render tree structure comprises instructions to cause the processor to traverse the render tree structure.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one property is position, wherein:

the change from the first state to the second state comprises a change of the at least one first object from a first position to a second position for display, and;

wherein determining the at least one implicit animation comprises selecting a motion-based animation for animating a change of the at least one second object associated with the at least one first object from the first position to the second position.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for rendering a user interface of an application by one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from the application, a notification of a change to at least one property of at least one first object, the at least one first object being associated with a user interface of the application;

change the at least one property of the at least one first object from a first state to a second state;

record the change of state from the first state to the second state;

evaluate a time period between the receiving and the recording;

determine, when the time period meets the threshold, at least one implicit animation from a plurality of implicit animations for animating at least one second object of a render tree structure responsive to the change from the first state to the second state, the at least one second object being associated with the at least one first object, wherein the at least one implicit animation is automatically determined independent of the application;

render from the render tree structure, the at least one second object on a display of the computer system, wherein the rendering occurs at a frequency based at least in part on the threshold.