Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Conal M Elliott

John Michael Snyder

Michael A Toelle

Greg D Schechter

Salim S AbiEzzi

James Thomas Kajiya

Mark L Kenworthy

Colin L Campbell

Kent E Griffin

Todd B Knoblock

John G Torborg, Jr

Chun-Fu Ricky Yeung

The invention provides a device for converting data types corresponding to functional animations into a form that is amenable to fast renderings of the animation by using of a presentation library. It therefore bridges a gap between the high level flexibility needed to formulate animations with the low level rigid structuring imposed by presentation software that directly interfaces with image rendering and sound presenting hardware. A spite engine interprets a list of sprites which is created and updated by a normalizer software component. The sprite engine must interpret its list at a refresh rate suitable for rendering video images. The normalizer must deal with the functional data types built by the functional animation software and convert those data types into lists of sprites. The two components (sprite engine and normalizer) operate in synchronism in different threads started by the operating system to render smooth animation images but using an intuitive composing system such as the functional animation software. The normalizer may (depending on events that may occur in the animation) replace the sprite list anchored at this point of mutability with another such list as needed. A contiguous subsequence of sprites for an animated object may therefore be introduced, removed, or replaced without the necessity of reconstructing the entire list.

Functional animation including sprite tree generator and interpreter

A pre-processing method prepares 3D objects for rendering to image layers in a layered graphics rendering pipeline. The method transforms a bounding volume for an object to a 2D bounding box in a 2D view space. It then subdivides the bounding box into blocks of image samples called chunks. To computer the portion of the object that should be rendered to each chunk, it determines which geometric primitives of the object overlap each chunk and generates a list of primitives to the rendered for each chunk.

Method for sorting 3D object geometry among image chunks for rendering in a layered graphics rendering system

A method for rendering graphical objects in a scene to generate a display images includes dividing the geometric primitives of models in a scene among portions or 'chunks' of the view space to which the primitives will be rendered, and then rendering geometry referenced to the chunks in series in a common depth buffer. Geometry for a chunk can be rendered, including sophisticated anti-aliasing and translucency computations, using a minimum of memory. Serially rendering object geometry in chunks provides an effective form of compression because pixel fragments can be generated for one chunk at a time and then resolved. Pixel fragments can be resolved in a post-processing step for one chunk while primitives for another chunk are rasterized.

Method and system for rendering graphical objects to image chunks

A method and system for modeling interactive animation and other integrated media includes support for a declarative modeling language and a system for presenting media represented in a declarative language model. The modeling language enables authors to represent natural or modeled media in a compact model, and it allows for the explicit description of time varying behavior as well as reactive behavior, which occurs in response to discrete events. The system compiles or interprets the model, optimizes it, and controls the presentation of media represented in it.

Method and system for modeling and presenting integrated media with a

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Conal M Elliott