Script control for camera positioning in a scene generated by a computer rendering engine

Abstract

A system for controlling a rendering engine by using specialized commands. The commands are used to generate a production, such as a television show, at an end-user's computer that executes the rendering engine. In one embodiment, the commands are sent over a network, such as the Internet, to achieve broadcasts of video programs at very high compression and efficiency. Commands for setting and moving camera viewpoints, animating characters, and defining or controlling scenes and sounds are described. At a fine level of control math models and coordinate systems can be used make specifications. At a coarse level of control the command language approaches the text format traditionally used in television or movie scripts. Simple names for objects within a scene are used to identify items, directions and paths. Commands are further simplified by having the rendering engine use defaults when specifications are left out. For example, when a camera direction is not specified, the system assumes that the viewpoint is to be the current action area. The system provides a hierarchy of detail levels. Movement commands can be defaulted or specified. Synchronized speech can be specified as digital audio or as text which is used to synthesize the speech.

1 - 5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . A Method for controlling a rendering engine to produce a visual display at a digital computing device, the method comprising:
 determining that a talking portion of a current audio portion of the visual display is associated with one or more characters;   determining a prime character such that the prime character is a particular one of the one or more characters associated with the talking portion, wherein the prime character is determined based on a length of a speech sequence of the particular one of the one or more characters associated with the talking portion;   automatically determining an action area, wherein the action area is defined as one or more specified places within a digital environment comprising at least a face of the prime character; and   rendering a digital scene based, at least in part, on the determined action area, wherein the rendering is by the digital computing device.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein rendering the digital scene comprises rendering the digital scene to display at least a portion of the action area. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the prime character moves within the digital environment, and wherein the method further comprises updating the action area as the prime character moves within the digital environment. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the action area is a framed two-shot. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a type of camera shot specified in a control script. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a designation in a control script of a camera position, angle, or zoom level. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 6  wherein automatically determining the action area further comprises determining a positional average between the prime character and another object in the digital environment. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 6  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on instructions specified in a control script instructing a camera to follow a character through the action area. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a viewpoint of a character in the digital environment other than the prime character. 
     
     
         15 . A computer readable storage medium storing content which, in response to being executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations for controlling a rendering engine to produce a visual display at a digital computing device, the operations comprising:
 determining that a talking portion of a current audio portion of the visual display is associated with one or more characters;   determining a prime character such that the prime character is a particular one of the one or more characters associated with the talking portion, wherein the prime character is determined based on a length of a speech sequence of the particular one of the one or more characters associated with the talking portion;   automatically determining an action area, wherein the action area is defined as one or more specified places within a digital environment comprising at least a face of the prime character; and   rendering a digital scene at the digital computing device, wherein the digital scene is based, at least in part, on the determined action area.   
     
     
         16 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a viewpoint of a character in the digital environment other than the prime character. 
     
     
         17 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein rendering the digital scene comprises rendering the digital scene to display at least a portion of the action area. 
     
     
         18 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein the prime character moves within the digital environment, and wherein the operations further comprise updating the action area as the prime character moves within the digital environment. 
     
     
         19 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein the action area is a two-shot. 
     
     
         20 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a type of camera shot specified in a control script. 
     
     
         21 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a designation in a control script of a camera position, angle, or zoom level. 
     
     
         22 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15  wherein automatically determining the action area further comprises determining a positional average between the prime character and another object in the digital environment. 
     
     
         23 . A system for controlling a rendering engine to produce a visual display at a digital computing device, the system comprising:
 a digital environment analyzer configured to—
 determine that a talking portion of a current audio portion of the visual display is associated with one or more characters; 
 determine a prime character such that the prime character is a particular one of the one or more characters associated with the talking portion, wherein the prime character is determined based on a length of a speech sequence of the particular one of the one or more characters associated with the talking portion; and 
 automatically determine an action area, wherein the action area is defined as one or more specified places within a digital environment comprising at least a face of the prime character; and 
   a rendering engine configured to render a digital scene at the digital computing device, wherein the digital scene is based, at least in part, on the determined action area.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23  wherein rendering the digital scene is further based, at least in part, on a viewpoint of a character in the digital environment other than the prime character. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23  wherein automatically determining the action area further comprises determining a positional average between the prime character and another object in the digital environment.