Multi-resolution geometry

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus is disclosed for creating a three-dimensional visual representation of an object having multiple resolutions by retrieving a vertex list for the object, determining a collapse order for the vertices identified in the vertex list, reordering the vertices identified in the vertex list responsive to the determined collapse, order, and creating a vertex collapse list responsive to the collapse order, where the vertex collapse list specifies, for a target vertex, a neighbor vertex to collapse to. The vertex list may comprise 3D coordinates of vertices without referring to other vertex attributes or, in alternate embodiments, the vertex list may refer to other vertex attributes such as colors or normals. A runtime manager is disclosed which dynamically manages the polygon counts for objects and frames based upon the location, velocity, and area of the object. Polygon counts are also adjusted based upon a target frame rate and a target polygon count. A system is also disclosed for continuous transfer of data across a remote connection in which different levels of resolution are transmitted individually.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 243,099, filed on Feb. 2, 1999, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 60 / 089,794, filed on Jun. 18, 1998.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]This invention relates to the field of generating three-dimensional graphics; more specifically, to the field of generating multiple resolutions of an object in a three-dimensional environment.[0004]2. Background of the Invention[0005]Realistic three-dimensional object rendering for use in games and other software applications has been the goal for software and hardware makers in the computer industry for years. However, numerous problems prevent the achievement of realistic three-dimensional object rendering on a typical user's home computer.[0006]Three-dimensional graphics use polygons to create the object to be rendered. These polygons...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus, system, and method is disclosed for producing realistic rendering of a 3D object while minimizing the use of user system resources and maximizing fidelity without sacrificing speed. The invention produces a continuous level of detail of an object using vertex merging responsive to the location of the object on the screen and other factors, thus eliminating the object popping effect. As the object moves towards the background, and therefore requires less polygons in order to provide a realistic rendering, vertices of the object are merged together in a manner designed to cause the least visual distortion. As the vertices are merged, polygons within the object are eliminated, th

Problems solved by technology

However, numerous problems prevent the achievement of realistic three-dimensional object rendering on a typical user's home computer.

However, the more polygons used to create an object, the more computations required to render the object, thus slowing down the speed at which the object is rendered.

The resolution of this problem is not easy.

Thus, the developer must assume the user's processor is slow and is therefore capable of only rendering a small number of triangles per second.

This solution, however, pleases neither the user with a low-end computer nor the user with the high-end computer.

The user with the low-end computer will most likely still have images which are slow and choppy, because the developers are unwilling to completely sacrifice realism, and the user with a high-end computer will have images which appear artificial and robotic because the application is not designed to take advantage of the high-end machine's greater processing power.

In fact, on some high-end systems, the application will be too fast to play or interact with because the polygon count is too low.

Another problem facing the developer is the fact that the same object requires more detail when closer to the screen than it requires if it is in the background.

However, the most detailed version of the object cannot always be used to render the object because the application will require too much computing pow

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