Volume areas in a three-dimensional virtual conference space, and applications thereof
AssigneeKatmai Tech Holdings LLC
InventorsGerard Cornelis Krol, Erik Stuart Braund
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a web-based videoconference system that allows for video avatars to navigate within the virtual environment. The system has a presented mode that allows for a presentation stream to be texture mapped to a presenter screen situated within the virtual environment. The relative left-right sound is adjusted to provide sense of an avatar's position in a virtual space. The sound is further adjusted based on the area where the avatar is located and where the virtual camera is located. Video stream quality is adjusted based on relative position in a virtual space. Three-dimensional modeling is available inside the virtual video conferencing environment.
Claims16
A computer-implemented method for providing audio for a virtual conference, comprising:
- (a) from a perspective of a virtual camera of a first user, rendering for display to the first user at least a portion of a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including an avatar representing a second user, the virtual camera at a first position in the three-dimensional virtual space and the avatar at a second position in the three-dimensional virtual space, wherein the three-dimensional virtual space is segmented into a plurality of areas;
- (b) receiving an audio stream from a microphone of a device of the second user, the microphone positioned to capture speech of the second user;
- (c) determining whether the virtual camera and the avatar are located in a same area in the plurality of areas;
- (d) determining whether the avatar is in a podium area in the plurality of areas;
- (e) when the virtual camera and the avatar are determined not to be located in the same area and the avatar is determined not to be in the podium area, attenuating the audio stream;
- and
- (f) outputting the audio stream to be played to the first user.
A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations for providing audio for a virtual conference, comprising:
- (a) from a perspective of a virtual camera of a first user, rendering for display to the first user at least a portion of a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including an avatar representing a second user, the virtual camera at a first position in the three-dimensional virtual space and the avatar at a second position in the three-dimensional virtual space, wherein the three-dimensional virtual space is segmented into a plurality of areas;
- (b) receiving an audio stream from a microphone of a device of the second user, the microphone positioned to capture speech of the second user;
- (c) determining whether the virtual camera and the avatar are located in a same area in the plurality of areas;
- (d) determining whether the avatar is in a podium area in the plurality of areas;
- (e) when the virtual camera and the avatar are determined not to be located in the same area and the avatar is determined not to be in the podium area, attenuating the audio stream;
- and
- (f) outputting the audio stream to be played to the first user.
A system for providing audio for a virtual conference, comprising:
- a processor coupled to memory;
- a renderer implemented on the processor and configured to, from a perspective of a virtual camera of a first user, render for display to the first user at least a portion of a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including an avatar representing a second user, the virtual camera at a first position in the three-dimensional virtual space and the avatar at a second position in the three-dimensional virtual space, wherein the three-dimensional virtual space is segmented into a plurality of areas structured as a hierarchy;
- a network interface configured to receive an audio stream from a microphone of a device of the second user, the microphone positioned to capture speech of the second user;
- and
- an audio processor configured to determine whether the virtual camera and the avatar are located in a same area in the plurality of areas and whether the avatar is in a podium area in the plurality of areas, and, when the virtual camera and the avatar are determined not to be located in the same area and the avatar is determined not to be in the podium area, attenuate the audio stream, and output the audio stream to be played to the first user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.