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US 11,776,203 B1Granted
Volumetric scattering effect in a three-dimensional virtual environment with navigable video avatars
AssigneeKatmai Tech Inc.
InventorsGerard Cornelis Krol, Petr Polyakov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a web-based videoconference system that allows for video avatars to navigate within a virtual environment. Various methods for efficient modeling, rendering, and shading are disclosed herein.
Claims21
A computer-implemented method for efficiently rendering a scattering effect in a three-dimensional virtual environment, comprising:
- rendering a shadow map of at least a portion of the three-dimensional virtual environment from a perspective of a light source in the three-dimensional virtual environment, the shadow map specifying a plurality of distances from the light source to objects of the three-dimensional virtual environment with navigable video avatars;
- rendering an image of the three-dimensional virtual environment from the perspective of a virtual camera;
- for respective pixels of the image:
- identifying a plurality of points in the three-dimensional virtual environment along a ray extended from the virtual camera to capture the respective pixel of an object in the three-dimensional virtual environment;
- for each of the plurality of points:
- selecting, from the shadow map, a first distance according to the shadow map position corresponding to the identified point;
- determining a second distance from the identified point to the light source;
- comparing the first and second distances to determine whether the point is exposed to the light source;
- and
- based on a number of the plurality of points determined to be exposed to the light source, applying a foreground scattering effect at the respective pixel.
7 more elements
A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out operations for efficiently rendering a scattering effect in a three-dimensional virtual environment, the operations comprising:
- rendering a shadow map of at least a portion of the three-dimensional virtual environment from a perspective of a light source in the three-dimensional virtual environment, the shadow map specifying a plurality of distances from the light source to objects of the three-dimensional virtual environment with navigable video avatars;
- rendering an image of the three-dimensional virtual environment from the perspective of a virtual camera;
- for respective pixels of the image:
- identifying a plurality of points in the three-dimensional virtual environment along a ray extended from the virtual camera to capture the respective pixel of an object in the three-dimensional virtual environment;
- for each of the plurality of points:
- selecting, from the shadow map, a first distance according to the shadow map position corresponding to the identified point;
- determining a second distance from the identified point to the light source;
- comparing the first and second distances to determine whether the point is exposed to the light source;
- and
- based on a number of the plurality of points determined to be exposed to the light source, applying a foreground scattering effect at the respective pixel.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.