Depth ray layer for reduced visual noise

A method comprising:

• receiving a depth map defining a depth in association with each of a plurality of pixels forming a three-dimensional scene;
• defining a color gradient between a first pixel value and a second pixel value, wherein each sequential step in the color gradient between the first pixel value and the second pixel value is assigned to a corresponding depth of increasing magnitude;
• and
• providing an instruction executable by a graphics engine to apply a depth ray layer to a select portion of the three-dimensional scene defined by a perimeter, the depth ray layer altering values of pixels internal to the perimeter while pixels external to the perimeter remain unchanged by the depth ray layer, the altered pixels internal to the perimeter illustrating the shape of at least one background object and each assuming a pixel value included within the color gradient that corresponds to the depth associated with the pixel by the depth map.

One or more computer-readable storage media of a tangible article of manufacture encoding instructions for executing a computer process comprising:

• receiving a depth map defining a depth in association with each of a plurality of pixels forming a three-dimensional scene;
• defining a color gradient between a first pixel value and a second pixel value, wherein each sequential step in the color gradient between the first pixel value and the second pixel value is assigned to a corresponding depth of increasing magnitude;
• and
• provide an instruction executable by a graphics engine to apply a depth ray layer to a select portion of the three-dimensional scene defined by a perimeter, the depth ray layer altering values of pixels internal to the perimeter while pixels external to the perimeter remain unchanged by the depth ray layer, the altered pixels internal to the perimeter illustrating the shape of at least one background object and each assuming a pixel value included within the color gradient that corresponds to the defined depth associated with the pixel by the depth map.