Avatar actions and behaviors in virtual environments

Abstract

In one implementation, a new set of actions and behaviors associated with interactive spaces and avatars in 3D virtual environments are proposed. These actions and behaviors define the capabilities of an avatar in areas of interactivity. They can be used in MPEG-I Scene Description to support avatar social interactivity in 3D environments with corresponding time-based events. Generally, capabilities describe the allowed actions of an avatar following a trigger event in a region of interactivity. In the case "Disabilities" are defined for the user, information included in "Disabilities" will also impact the capabilities of a user avatar. The actions, for example, can include social action, restriction action, parental action, speech action, capabilities action and disabilities action. In one example, a new type of property (ACTION_SET_AVATAR) is included to the framework of MPEG_scene_activity. Under ACTION_SET_AVATAR, an object (avatarAction) is used to represent avatar-specific actions.

Description

In one implementation, a new set of actions and behaviors is proposed to associate with interactive spaces and avatars in a 3D virtual environment. These actions and behaviors define the capabilities of an avatar within interactive areas. They can be used in MPEG-I scene descriptions to support avatar social interactivity in 3D environments with corresponding time-based events. Generally, capabilities describe the actions an avatar is allowed to take after a triggering event in an interactive area. In the case of defining a "disabled" user, the information included in the "disabled" will also affect the capabilities of the user's avatar. For example, actions can include social actions, restricted actions, parental actions, voice actions, capability actions, and disabled actions. In one example, a new type of attribute (ACTION_SET_AVATAR) is included in the MPEG_scene_activity framework. Under ACTION_SET_AVATAR, objects (avatarAction) are used to represent avatar-specific actions. Summary

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method, comprising: obtaining, from a description for an extended reality scene, at least a parameter used to define one or more permitted actions for an avatar node representing an avatar; activating a trigger to an action associated with said avatar node, wherein said action belongs to said one or more permitted actions; and launching said action for said avatar node.

2. A method, comprising: generating at least a parameter in a description for an extended reality scene to define one or more permitted actions for an avatar node representing an avatar; associating a trigger to an action with said avatar node, wherein said action belongs to said one or more permitted actions; and encoding said description for said extended reality scene.

3. An apparatus, comprising one or more processors and at least one memory, wherein said one or more processors are configured to: obtain, from a description for an extended reality scene, at least a parameter used to define one or more permitted actions for an avatar node representing an avatar; activate a trigger to an action associated with said avatar node, wherein said action belongs to said one or more permitted actions; and launch said action for said avatar node.

4. An apparatus, comprising one or more processors and at least one memory, wherein said one or more processors are configured to: generate at least a parameter in a description for an extended reality scene to define one or more permitted actions for an avatar node representing an avatar; associate a trigger to an action with said avatar node, wherein said action belongs to said one or more permitted actions; and encode said description for said extended reality scene.

5. The method of any one of claim 1 or 2, or the apparatus of claim 3 or 4, wherein said one or more permitted actions include at least one of the following types:- setting action of said avatar node,- setting restrictions of said avatar node,- setting parental and content usage permissions of said avatar node,- setting permitted speech activity of said avatar node,- setting capabilities of said avatar node, and- setting disabilities of said avatar node.

6. The method of any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, or the apparatus of any one of claims 3-5, wherein said at least a parameter indicates capabilities of said avatar.

7. The method of claim 6, or the apparatus of claim 6, wherein said capabilities include at least one of the following:- the ability to walk,- the ability to run,- the ability to jump,- the ability to fly,- the ability to swim,- the ability to go over, get on, climb to, to descend objects,- the ability to hold objects with hands like representations,- the ability to interact and change spatial position of 3D objects by using collision or proximity type of detectors,- the ability to ride a vehicle or animal,- the ability to use a vehicle, and- the ability of piloting a vehicle.

8. The method of any one of claims 1, 2 and 5-7, or the apparatus of any one of claims 3-7, wherein said at least a parameter indicates disabilities of said avatar.

9. The method of claim 8, or the apparatus of claims 8, wherein said disabilities include at least one of the following:- cerebral palsy,- spinal cord injuries,- amputation,- musculoskeletal injuries,- hearing loss, andvision impairment.

10. The method of any one of claims 1, 2 and 5-9, or the apparatus of any one of claims 3-9, wherein said at least a parameter indicates restrictions of said avatar.

11. The method of any one of claims 1, 2 and 5-10, or the apparatus of any one of claims 3-10, wherein said at least a parameter indicates a minimum age recommendation for a content of a list of nodes.

12. The method of any one of claims 1, 2 and 5-11, or the apparatus of any one of claims 3-11, wherein said at least a parameter indicates a content type of a list of nodes.

13. The method of claim 12, or the apparatus of claim 12, wherein said content type indicates at least one of the following:- violence,- bad language,- fear,- gambling,- sex,- drugs,- discrimination, and- in-game purchases.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1, 2 and 5-13.

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