Computer graphics with enhanced depth effect
AssigneeSony Computer Entertainment America LLC
InventorsBret Mogilefsky, Richard B. Stenson
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Abstract
Systems and methods for processing three-dimensional graphics depicting a sequence of motion with an enhanced illusion of depth are described. The graphics may include three-dimensional content mapped to a two dimensional viewing window with an additional reference image rendered onto the viewing window. The reference image may be defined at one or more portions of the viewing window and rendered as occluding the content or being occluded by the content depending on the depth of the content at each portion of the viewing window.
Claims45
A method of rendering graphics, the graphics including three-dimensional content depicting a sequence of motion, the method comprising:
- a) rendering the three-dimensional content as mapped to a two-dimensional viewing window;
- and
- b) rendering a reference image onto the viewing window in addition to the three-dimensional content, wherein the reference image is defined at one or more portions of the viewing window, wherein the one or more portions are less than an entirety of the viewing window, and wherein said rendering the reference image in b) comprises, for each given portion of the one or more portions:
- i) determining whether a depth of the three-dimensional content mapped to the given portion is beyond a depth threshold by checking a depth value of the content contained in a depth buffer,
- ii) occluding the content mapped to the given portion with the reference image when it is determined in i) that the depth of the content mapped to the given portion is beyond the depth threshold, and
- iii) occluding the reference image with the content mapped to the given portion when it is determined in i) that the depth of the content mapped to the given portion is not beyond the depth threshold.
A system comprising:
- at least one processor, and
- at least one memory,
- wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute an application having three-dimensional graphics content that depicts a sequence of motion,
- wherein the processor is configured to perform a method of rendering graphics, the graphics including three-dimensional content depicting a sequence of motion, the method comprising:
- a) rendering the three-dimensional content as mapped to a two-dimensional viewing window;
- and
- b) rendering a reference image onto the viewing window in addition to the three-dimensional content, wherein the reference image is defined at one or more portions of the viewing window, wherein the one or more portions are less than an entirety of the viewing window, and wherein said rendering the reference image in b) comprises, for each given portion of the one or more portions:
- i) determining whether a depth of the three-dimensional content mapped to the given portion is beyond a depth threshold by checking a depth value of the content contained in a depth buffer in the memory,
- ii) occluding the content mapped to the given portion with the reference image when it is determined in i) that the depth of the content mapped to the given portion is beyond the depth threshold, and
- iii) occluding the reference image with the content mapped to the given portion when it is determined in i) that the depth of the content mapped to the given portion is not beyond the depth threshold.
A non-transitory computer readable medium having processor-executable instructions embodied therein, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to implement a method of rendering graphics, the graphics including three-dimensional content depicting a sequence of motion, the method comprising:
- a) rendering the three-dimensional content as mapped to a two-dimensional viewing window;
- and
- b) rendering a reference image onto the viewing window in addition to the three-dimensional content, wherein the reference image is defined at one or more portions of the viewing window, wherein the one or more portions are less than an entirety of the viewing window, and wherein said rendering the reference image in b) comprises, for each given portion of the one or more portions:
- i) determining whether a depth of the three-dimensional content mapped to the given portion is beyond a depth threshold by checking a depth value of the content contained in a depth buffer,
- ii) occluding the content mapped to the given portion with the reference image when it is determined in i) that the depth of the content mapped to the given portion is beyond the depth threshold, and
- iii) occluding the reference image with the content mapped to the given portion when it is determined in i) that the depth of the content mapped to the given portion is not beyond the depth threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.