Providing interactive light controls in a three-dimensional compositing application

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a three dimensional (3D) compositing application that provides a set of lighting tools for the user to better visualize the effects of a light in a 3D space by allowing a user to incorporate interactive visible light sources into a 3D scene that may be a part of a 3D project. The light tools allow the visible light sources that are incorporated into the 3D scene to be rendered for the final composited project, or to be rendered and displayed only during the 3D scene's compositing process to assist the user's visualization. Interactive rendering of the objects, including visible light sources, allow for any adjustments to the 3D scene to be displayed with minimal user-perceivable delay. In some embodiments, the set of lighting tools includes tools for incorporating at least one visible spot light source into the scene as an object of the three-dimensional scene.

Description

CLAIM OF BENEFIT TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 182,715, entitled “Providing a Visible Light Source in an Interactive Three-Dimensional Compositing Application”, filed May 30, 2009. The contents of U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 182,715 are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is directed towards media editing. Specifically, the present invention provides techniques and tools for incorporating an interactive visible light source into a three dimensional space when performing media editing.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Three dimensional (3D) digital graphic design, video editing, and media-editing applications provide designers and artists with the necessary tools to create much of the media seen today through the various media outlets. These tools allow designers the ability to generate, compose, composite, and animate the images and videos in a virtual 3D digital spa...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a 3D compositing application that allows users to visualize the effects of light in a 3D space by adding interactive light sources to a 3D scene. The application provides a set of lighting tools that users can use to create and display the final composited project. The display presentation can be generated during the compositing process or as a post-compositing step. The interactive display presentation is a high-quality, real-time display that can be used for visualization or for producing a fixed image or video for the 3D scene. The patent also describes the use of offline rendering to produce a fixed image or video for the 3D scene. Overall, the patent provides a way for users to better visualize and adjust the 3D scene by adding interactive light sources.

Problems solved by technology

One problem a user encounters when working with interactive media applications, such as the one whose virtual 3D space is illustrated in FIG. 1, is that only the lighting patterns on the surfaces of objects are visible.

Such manual compositing is time-consuming, and is not easily modified from within the 3D interactive compositing work space.

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