Navigating through a virtual environment having a real-world elevation characteristics using motion capture

A method of moving an avatar in a virtual world along an uneven terrain based on movement of a participant in a capture volume along a substantially level ground surface:

• generating, by a computer, one or more rays in the virtual world that originate at a predetermined height above one or more portions of the avatar's body in the virtual environment and are directed vertically downwards towards the terrain of the virtual world;
• intersecting the one or more rays with a collision mesh that defines the terrain of the virtual world at a location of the avatar to determine an offset in an elevation and an offset in an orientation of the avatar in the virtual environment with respect to the terrain of the virtual world in correlation to the movement of the participant in the capture volume,
• wherein intersecting the one or more rays with the collision mesh to determine the offset in the elevation and the offset in the orientation of the avatar comprises:
• determining a length of each of the one or more rays from a point of origin of a respective ray of the one or more rays to a point of intersection of the respective ray with the collision mesh that defines the terrain of the virtual world;
• and
• determining the elevation of the avatar based on the lengths of the one or more rays;
• adjusting, by the computer, the elevation and the orientation of the avatar in the virtual world to compensate for the determined offset in the elevation and the offset in the orientation and to align the avatar with the terrain of the virtual world;
• and
• displaying, to the participant in the capture volume, a view of the virtual world from the adjusted elevation and the adjusted orientation of the avatar in the virtual world.

A system, comprising:

• a communication network;
• and
• a computer coupled to the communication network and configured to:
• determine an offset in an elevation and an offset in an orientation of an avatar in a virtual environment with respect to a terrain of the virtual environment in correlation to an elevation and an orientation of a person in a motion capture volume, wherein the avatar in the virtual environment is a virtual representation of the person in the capture volume;
• adjust the elevation and the orientation of the avatar in the virtual environment to compensate for the offset in the elevation and the offset in the orientation of the avatar and to align the avatar with the terrain of the virtual environment;
• display, to the person in the capture volume, a view of the virtual environment from the adjusted elevation and orientation of the avatar in the virtual environment;
• disable the determination of the offset in the elevation and the offset in the orientation of the avatar when the person in the capture volume is performing a jumping motion;
• and
• responsive to disabling the offset in the elevation and the offset in the orientation of the avatar, provide a one to one mapping of the person in the motion capture volume to the avatar in the virtual environment.