Scalable, multi-user server and method for rendering images from interactively customizable scene information

Abstract

A server for use in connection with a network including at least one client and a communication link interconnecting the client and server. The server comprises a user interaction control module, an image rendering module and an interface. The image rendering module is configured to render, from three-dimensional scene data representing a scene, a two-dimensional image. The interface configured to transmit the two-dimensional image over the communication link to the client. The user interaction control module is configured to regulate interactions between the server, in particular the image rendering module, and respective clients who may be using the server concurrently to control images in which customizations requested by, for example, respective clients are rendered.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates generally to the fields of computer graphics and distribution of information in graphical form, generally in the form of rendered images, over networks such as the Internet. The invention provides a new and improved scalable, multi-user server and method for rendering images from interactively customizable three-dimensional scene information. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Devices, such as computers, personal digital assistants (PDA's), cellular telephones, and the like, that can generate, process, display and otherwise make use of information in digital form, are often connected into networks to facilitate sharing of information thereamong. In some networks, so-called local area networks (LAN's), the networks extend over a relatively small geographic region, such as a building or group of buildings. Other networks, so-called wide area networks (WAN's), the networks extend over larger geographical regions, and may include LAN's...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] The server is also provided with a user interaction control module that regulates interactions between the server, in particular the image rendering module, and respective clients who may be using the server concurrently to control images in which customizations requested by, for example, respective clients are rendered.

Problems solved by technology

While this can be useful in some situations, there are a number of limitations that make it less than optimum.

For example, the amount of information required to define objects in a three-dimensional scene in any significant degree of detail can be quite large, and, given bandwidth limitations that are typical in many connections to the World Wide Web, it would require an inordinate amount of time to retrieve the information required to display the three-dimensional scene if the scene has any significant degree of detail.

Accordingly, typically for three dimensional scenes, the amount of image information will be limited sufficiently so that the three-dimensional scenes have only a few relatively small objects and textures, with an extremely limited range of illumination and surface property effects.

In addition, although a user can change the viewpoint from which the scene is displayed, he or she cannot change the orientation or a number of other characteristics of the objects in the scene.

Even if the bandwidth were sufficient to enable sufficient three-dimensional scene information to be retrieved within a reasonable amount of time to facilitate display of the scene with a more photo-realistic quality, in a number of situations it may be undesirable to transfer the information to the user.

For example, if a manufacturer uses the Web site to provide information about its products for, for example, potential customers, it may not wish to make information sufficient to provide photo-realistic three-dimensional images available for retrieval, since information that is sufficiently detailed to generate such images may also be sufficiently detailed to provide a significant amount of design information that may be of interest to competitors.

The amount of information that would be necessary to allow a user to perform such operations may require a significant amount of time to transfer.

However, problems arise since not only will the Web site need to retrieve the information from databases on which the information is stored for transmission to the user's browser, but need also render the two-dimensional images from orientations and with modifications and customizations specified by the user.

For example, if a number of users are accessing the Web site concurrently, the amount of processing power required to render the images in a reasonable amount of time can become quite large.

In addition, problems can arise if a group of users are making use of the same scene, for whom customizations made by any of the users in the group are to be incorporated into the scene as used by all of the members of the group, since all of the customizations would need to be transmitted to all of the users and incorporated into their respective three-dimensional scenes.

Images