Three-Dimensional Shadows Cast by Objects

• US 20130194269A1
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matas, Michael, Tsinteris, Kimon, Sarner, Austin, Melcher, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/426
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/137 Hierarchical processing, e.g. outlines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/60 Shadow generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Particular embodiments display an object over a background on a screen of an electronic device; and display a shadow effect for the object on the screen of the electronic device, including simulating a three-dimensional (3D) environment encompassing the object; simulating a light source at a specific position within the simulated 3D environment; simulating a shadow cast by the object on the background as a result of the light source shining on the object in the simulated 3D environment; and rendering the shadow on the screen of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying an object over a background on a screen of an electronic device; and

displaying a shadow effect for the object on the screen of the electronic device, comprising;

simulating a three-dimensional (3D) environment encompassing the object;

simulating a light source at a specific position within the simulated 3D environment;

simulating a shadow cast by the object on the background as a result of the light source shining on the object in the simulated 3D environment; and

rendering the shadow on the screen of the electronic device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein simulating the shadow cast by the object comprises

placing a pixel behind the object and near the center of the object;

enlarging and blurring the pixel until the pixel extends beyond at least one edge of the object.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the shadow is simulated based on a spatial relationship between a current position of the object and the specific position of the light source, a current orientation of the object, and a current size of the object.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object is displayed at a first layer of a user interface and the background is displayed at a second layer below the first layer of the user interface.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

in response to a user interacting with the object, simulating an effect of the user picking up the object by decreasing a size of the background and increasing a size of the shadow to simulate a greater distance between the object and the background.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

in response to a user moving the object from its current position to a new position, adjusting a size and a shape of the shadow cast by the object on the background based on a spatial relationship between the new position of the object and the specific position of the light source in the simulated 3D environment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

in response to a user rotating the object from its current orientation to a new orientation, adjusting a shape of the shadow cast by the object on the background based on the new orientation of the object.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

in response to a user zooming the object from its current size to a new size, adjusting a size of the shadow cast by the object on the background based on the new size of the object.

9. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

display an object over a background on a screen of an electronic device; and

display a shadow effect for the object on the screen of the electronic device, comprising;

simulate a three-dimensional (3D) environment encompassing the object;

simulate a light source at a specific position within the simulated 3D environment;

simulate a shadow cast by the object on the background as a result of the light source shining on the object in the simulated 3D environment; and

render the shadow on the screen of the electronic device.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein simulate the shadow cast by the object comprises place a pixel behind the object and near the center of the object;

enlarge and blurring the pixel until the pixel extends beyond at least one edge of the object.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the shadow is simulated based on a spatial relationship between a current position of the object and the specific position of the light source, a current orientation of the object, and a current size of the object.

12. The media of claim 9, wherein the object is displayed at a first layer of a user interface and the background is displayed at a second layer below the first layer of the user interface.

13. The media of claim 9, wherein the software is further operable to

in response to a user interacting with the object, simulate an effect of the user picking up the object by decreasing a size of the background and increasing a size of the shadow to simulate a greater distance between the object and the background.

14. The media of claim 9, wherein the software is further operable to

in response to a user moving the object from its current position to a new position, adjust a size and a shape of the shadow cast by the object on the background based on a spatial relationship between the new position of the object and the specific position of the light source in the simulated 3D environment.

15. The media of claim 9, wherein the software is further operable to

in response to a user rotating the object from its current orientation to a new orientation, adjust a shape of the shadow cast by the object on the background based on the new orientation of the object.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the software is further operable to

in response to a user zooming the object from its current size to a new size, adjust a size of the shadow cast by the object on the background based on the new size of the object.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

display an object over a background on a screen of an electronic device; and

display a shadow effect for the object on the screen of the electronic device, comprising;

simulate a three-dimensional (3D) environment encompassing the object;

simulate a light source at a specific position within the simulated 3D environment;

simulate a shadow cast by the object on the background as a result of the light source shining on the object in the simulated 3D environment; and

render the shadow on the screen of the electronic device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein simulate the shadow cast by the object comprises

place a pixel behind the object and near the center of the object;

enlarge and blurring the pixel until the pixel extends beyond at least one edge of the object.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the shadow is simulated based on a spatial relationship between a current position of the object and the specific position of the light source, a current orientation of the object, and a current size of the object.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the object is displayed at a first layer of a user interface and the background is displayed at a second layer below the first layer of the user interface.