Integrated user environments

A method of managing a user interface of a teleoperated surgical system, the method comprising:

• receiving at a first user interface from a second user interface, an environmental variable describing operation of a remote virtual instrument in the second user interface;
• rendering a local scene at the first user interface, the local scene representing a state of operation of a local virtual instrument;
• rendering a remote scene at the first user interface, the remote scene representing a state of operation of the remote virtual instrument, wherein the remote scene includes a representation of the remote virtual instrument that is generated based at least in part on the environmental variable;
• compositing the local scene and the remote scene to produce a composite scene;
• and
• presenting the composite scene to a user of the first user interface, wherein the composite scene includes the local virtual instrument and the representation of the remote virtual instrument.

A system for managing a user interface, the system comprising:

• a first user interface comprising:
• a communications subsystem configured to receive at the first user interface from a second user interface, an environmental variable describing operation of a remote virtual instrument in the second user interface;
• a video subsystem to:
• render a local scene at the first user interface, the local scene representing a state of operation of a local virtual instrument;
• render a remote scene at the first user interface, the remote scene representing a state of operation of the remote virtual instrument, wherein the remote scene includes a representation of the remote virtual instrument that is generated based at least in part on the environmental variable;
• composite the local scene and the remote scene to produce a composite scene;
• and
• present the composite scene to a user of the first user interface, wherein the composite scene includes the local virtual instrument and the representation of the remote virtual instrument.

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

• receive at a first user interface from a second user interface, an environmental variable describing operation of a remote virtual instrument in the second user interface;
• render a local scene at the first user interface, the local scene representing a state of operation of a local virtual instrument;
• render a remote scene at the first user interface, the remote scene representing a state of operation of the remote virtual instrument, wherein the remote scene includes a representation of the remote virtual instrument that is generated based at least in part on the environmental variable;
• composite the local scene and the remote scene to produce a composite scene;
• and
• present the composite scene to a user of the first user interface, wherein the composite scene includes the local virtual instrument and the representation of the remote virtual instrument.