Method and system for automatically generating world environmental reverberation from game geometry

Abstract

Reverberation parameters for one or more positions of interest are derived from graphics data used for displaying a computer-generated environment. For each position of interest for which reverberation parameters are desired, environmental parameters including distances and the hardness of features in a range of interest and at points on cubemap faces are automatically determined from the graphics data. The environmental parameters are stored with the graphics data and associated with each position of interest. Upon rendering of the computer-generated environment, reverberation property set values usable by a reverberation engine are calculated or interpolated between predetermined values according to the environmental parameters. Thus, values such as reverb, reverb delay, reflections, decay time, reflection delay, and other reverb parameters are automatically calculated, subject to selective operator tuning, and provide realistic reverberation effects in the sounds heard by a user who is experiencing the rendered environment.