Streaming virtual objects for incorporation in virtual environments

A computer implemented method, comprising:

• receiving an indication of an interactive event associated with a simulation environment, wherein the indication of the interactive event is sent over a network by a simulation client configured to execute the simulation environment;
• identifying object data for a virtual object linked to the interactive event, wherein the virtual object is a background object in the simulation environment and the object data includes speech data linked to the virtual object used to convey a message contained in the speech data as a background message in the simulation environment that indirectly communicates the message to a user of the simulation environment;
• obtaining an audio stream and animation instructions for the virtual object from a text-to-speech service configured to convert the speech data to the audio stream and generate the animation instructions using the speech data;
• and
• initiating streaming of the audio stream and the animation instructions for the virtual object to the simulation client, wherein the simulation client is configured to incorporate the virtual object in the simulation environment and animate the virtual object using the animation instructions synchronized with the audio stream to convey the message.

A non-transitory machine readable storage medium for a simulation client, the non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor:

• monitor interactive events for a simulation environment on the simulation client;
• detect an interactive event occurring within the simulation environment executed on the simulation client, wherein the interactive event triggers a request for a virtual object linked to the interactive event stored in a computing service provider environment;
• send the request for the virtual object to a virtual object service hosted by a computing service provider, wherein the virtual object service obtains an audio stream and animation instructions for the virtual object from a text-to-speech service that generates the audio stream and the animation instructions from speech data included in object data for the virtual object;
• receive an object data stream for the virtual object from the virtual object service, wherein the object data stream includes the animation instructions and the audio stream for the virtual object that indirectly communicates a message to a user of the simulation environment as a background message in the simulation environment;
• and
• render the virtual object as a background object in the simulation environment using the object data stream, wherein the virtual object is animated using the animation instructions to convey a message contained in the audio stream, and animation of the virtual object is synchronized with the audio stream.