Three-dimensional gesture controlled avatar configuration interface

A computing system, comprising,

• a data-holding subsystem and logic subsystem that are operatively interconnected, the data-holding subsystem containing instructions that are executable by the logic subsystem to:
• cause a display subsystem to display a third-person avatar in a 3D virtual scene that defines a user interface for controlling presentation of a primary user experience of a software application that is executable by the logic subsystem, the user interface being external to, different from, and provided at different times than the primary user experience;
• in response to a depth camera imaging a user within a physical space to output a depth map that includes a plurality of pixels, each pixel having a depth value that indicates a relative depth of a surface imaged by that pixel, modeling the user with a virtual skeleton derived from the depth map, the virtual skeleton including a plurality of joints, each joint having a three-dimensional position;
• cause the display subsystem to display controlled movements of the third-person avatar so that the controlled movements visually correspond to virtual movements of the virtual skeleton, the controlling movements being based on at least the three-dimensional positions of two or more different joints of the virtual skeleton;
• and
• control presentation of the primary user experience in response to the virtual movements of the virtual skeleton.

A method for controlling a software application that provides a user with a primary user experience, the method comprising:

• displaying a third-person avatar in a 3D virtual scene that defines a user interface for controlling the primary user experience, the user interface being external to, different from, and provided at different times than the primary user experience;
• sensing a controlling movement of the user within a physical space in which the user is located, where such sensing is performed optically and in real-time using a depth camera;
• in response to sensing the controlling movement of the user, causing a controlled movement of the third-person avatar within the 3D virtual scene so that the controlled movement visually corresponds to the controlling movement;
• determining whether the controlled movement includes a predefined action that selects a virtual object that is displayed within the 3D virtual scene;
• and
• if the controlled movement includes the predefined action, controlling the primary user experience to incorporate use of the virtual object in the primary user experience such that the primary user experience varies from that which would occur in the event of the virtual object not being selected, wherein the displaying, sensing, causing of the controlled movement and determining are all performed outside of the primary user experience.